Bleeding Hearts
by Carrie7
Summary: The sequel to Weeping Willow is here! Based on XMen 3: The Last Stand HARDCORE SPOILERS WillowKurt, JackieAngel. The new school year has started:Willow is finally teaching and Jackie has to come to grips that her own body houses an amazing amount of power
1. Chapter 1

**Bleeding Hearts**

**The Sequel to _Weeping Willow_**

**An X3 Fanfiction by Carrie**

**_Big Damn Disclaimer:_ I, Carrie of hereby relinquish any sort of ownership of Marvel related subjects, plots or characters, lest they be of my own personal design. In addition, I give mad props to Chris Claremont, whom I have both quoted and, technically, plagiarized in order to accurately present the dialogue seen in the film to you, the reader.**

**_Author's note:_ Alright, kiddies, gather 'round. It's been three whole years, and I'm back with a vengeance. :p After I saw the third movie, I _had_ to start the long awaited sequel to Weeping Willow, so here you have it. It should all be pretty accurate this time around since I've been using the novelization by Chris Claremont for a script. I'm hoping for as many reviews as the last installment, so tell me what you think!**

**Chapter One**

Thunder rolled through the still midnight air of Westchester, New York. In the distance, a lightning bolt blew a transformer to smithereens, swathing the surrounding area in a violent red light.

This was not the first night that Jackie Dunn awoke with a start, her head resting on a tear-drenched pillowcase; at least this time she had not been jarred awake by her own nightmares. She sat up and looked at the alarm clock, but couldn't see its familiar green glow. _The power's out_, she thought to herself. Jackie got out of bed and padded silently to the window of her single room she'd received a few months ago. Rain spattered the window, reducing Jackie's poor, black-and-white eyesight to near blindness. Another bolt of lightning tore through the sky, illuminating the darkened suburbs of New York. The power of the electricity that rained from the sky that night both amazed and frightened her; after all, her own body could generate just as much electricity. She didn't even have to try.

"I'm dangerous," Jackie whispered to herself in disgust. She had no idea how much power her small body housed, and she was afraid to find out. Ever since Stryker's men had attacked the school, causing Jackie to fight back with the only weapon she possessed, she was afraid to touch anyone. "I could kill somebody else," she said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. Hot tears of self loathing welled up in Jackie's eyes.

Without anyone to comfort her or tell her it was going to be alright, Jackie shuffled back to bed.

"Professor?" Jackie asked the next day as she tapped lightly on his office door.

"Yes, come in," Professor Charles Xavier's calm voice said from inside. Jackie let herself into the room and shut the door behind her. "Why, Jackie, I haven't seen you in quite some time."

"No one's seen me for quite some time," Jackie countered.

"You've been crying," he said, noticing the moist tear tracks down her face.

"For maybe the last month," she said with a shadow of a grin. "I'm not doing so hot, Professor."

"Have a seat, Jackie," Xavier offered. Jackie took one of the chairs normally used for class and drug it over in front of his desk. "Now tell me: what's haunting you?"

"Can't you just read my mind?" Jackie asked, her voice laced with a hint of sarcasm.

"I generally don't without asking. Besides, sometimes it helps to talk about things," Xavier told her with a quirk of a smile.

"Okay, well, as you know, I've killed people. And that's not okay with me. And I know that people like Logan and John can just get over stuff like that, but I can't. All I can think about are their families, if they had any, and how I robbed some little kid of their daddy, even if he _was_ working for an evil cause," she explained. "It's made me hate myself. I can't even…_function_ the way I used to because it all comes back to the fact that I'm a murderer."

"Well, I'm glad that you're upset," Xavier said.

"Wait…_what_?" Jackie asked, taking it the wrong way. This wasn't the answer she had expected to get.

"Jackie, your guilt and regret alone redeem you. If you didn't grieve this way, I would be more worried about you than I already am," he explained. "Also, you have to remind yourself that you acted in self defense. The fact of the matter is they would have killed you and Bobby had you not taken action."

"I know, but I _killed_ two people, Professor! At this point, I wish it would have been me," she said, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm so dangerous…"

"Jackie, I know first hand what it's like to grow up with powers beyond the scope of control. It takes time to master our gifts, great and small. Infants aren't born knowing how to run and jump, just as you weren't given powers with the predisposition to control them," Xavier said comfortingly.

"I know, but…," Jackie sniffled, "Why did I get cursed with something so deadly? I have so much of it, but it's not good for anything…except killing people."

"Many of us were born with abilities that could be potentially harmful to others, but the important thing is to take the responsibility to master your skills. If you'd like, I could give you the same training I have given many of my students. Without practice, Jackie, there is no hope of you ever gaining control," the Professor told her.

"I know," she sighed, wiping her tears on the backs of her hands. "I just don't want anyone else to get hurt."

"Which is precisely the point of training," Xavier said with a smile. "I'm glad we could finally have this discussion, but I have a feeling you came to talk to me about something else…"

"Yeah, actually…," she said, now looking him straight in the face. "I want my memories of that night erased. You can do it, I know you can." Professor X heaved a saddened sigh.

"I can't do that for you, Jackie," he said.

"Why not? I can't stand living like this! It's been six months and I haven't been able to get any better. I know you can do it, Professor! Please…"

"Yes, I _can_ do it," the Professor interrupted. "But I _won't_. There are things in life that are tragic and shocking, but we must learn to overcome them on our own. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Once you have come to terms with the past, I know that you will be a stronger individual for it." Jackie hung her head and let more tears fall. "My suggestion to you is that you try to get back to life as it was. Focus on your academics a little more. And I'm sure that your friends are all very worried about you. You might try hanging out with them again."

"If they aren't disgusted by me," Jackie said miserably.

"They won't be. I promise," Xavier said.

"You know, I haven't talked to anyone like this since before it happened," Jackie said thoughtfully.

"There, now, you see? Your recovery has already started," the Professor said. "And once you're ready to begin training, I'll be happy to drop whatever it is I'm doing to help you."

"Thank you, Professor," Jackie said with a grateful smile, though she was still disappointed that he wouldn't help her with her memories.

"Come talk to me whenever you like," he offered.

"I will," she said. "I guess I'll leave you alone." Jackie got up, restored the chair to its place and exited the room with a little wave. Things, she felt, were finally going to start getting better.

* * *

Willow Stevens was just about to rip her green hair out in frustration. She'd been trying to devise a clever Horticulture curriculum from the day Professor X gave her permission to teach, but even now, when the class was in full swing, she was scrambling to keep the learning material coming. The most frustrating thing of all was the fact that no one respected her. Many of her friends had signed up for her class to support her, which she took as a very nice gesture. However, because they were all friends, they continued to neglect the assignments Willow dished out, thinking she'd let it fly, and none of them paid any attention in lecture; if they came at all. She didn't know whether to fail them all or just pass them for doing absolutely nothing. 

There was a knock at the door. The last thing Willow needed just then was visitors.

"Whaddya want?" she asked in an irritated tone.

"Can I come in?" asked a familiar voice. _Jackie_, Willow thought, knocking off the bitchy attitude.

"Of course," she answered. Jackie poked her head inside. She looked terrible. There were dark circles under her eyes and she'd lost quite a bit of weight. Her hair was messy and Willow wondered if she'd bothered to change her clothes in a couple days.

"Is this a bad time?" she asked.

"It's never a bad time for my best friend," Willow said with an awkward smile. Jackie flashed a little grin and let herself the rest of the way in. "So you're talking and socializing. This is new."

"Yeah," Jackie said as she took a seat on Willow's disheveled bed. "Being miserable is a lonely process. I figured if I didn't talk to anyone, I'd eventually go crazy."

"Look, Jack, I'm really sorry that I haven't been there for you as much as…"

"Don't be. It's not like I let anyone help me. I don't blame you for wanting to stay away," Jackie said.

"I didn't _want_ to stay away," Willow protested. "But you sorta threatened to electrocute me if I came into your room anymore, so I stopped trying."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Jackie said, looking sheepish.

"Are you alright? You seem better, now that you're speaking," Willow said.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna be okay. It's going to take a while before I quit hating myself for what I did, though."

"I know it probably won't help, but I forgive you and I love you," Willow said with a smile. "Best friends 'till the end, remember?"

"Yeah, I know," Jackie said with a little smile. "Likewise." After a little pause, Jackie spoke again. "I think I've almost gotten over John, too."

"That guy's a little prick," Willow said bitterly. She hated to think of the torment that he'd caused Jackie by joining the Brotherhood, not to mention what he had said about Kurt before he'd left.

"You're right, he is," Jackie agreed. "For a few days, I laid in bed and just stared at the ceiling, thinking about it. I wondered what would have happened if I'd gone with him. I wondered if I'm on the right side…but I know I am. I really do believe that humans and mutants can live together. Honestly. It might take a while, but it's like the whole segregation thing with the African Americans. It's taken like, fifty years, but we're headed in the right direction. And that got me thinking about civil rights, and how much violence happened during that time. I think there's gonna be a war, Willow, and it's freaking me out."

"Against who? Us and everyone else?" Willow asked, a pang of anxiety hitting her in the gut.

"No, man. Us versus them. Magneto and Mystique and everyone else in the Brotherhood. I have a feeling in my gut that they're gonna start some shit. John might be the first, but I have a feeling that we're all taking sides. You know? Like there's gonna be a fight. Maybe I'm just going crazy, I don't know," Jackie said, shaking her head. "It keeps me up at night, and I wonder if I'm gonna have to…you know…_kill_ someone else…and it scares me, and I don't want to have to do it again…" her voice trailed off as tears began to flow down her cheeks. Willow got up from her desk chair and sat next to Jackie. She wrapped her arms around her best friend.

"I'm afraid people are gonna think that I'm some kind of monster, you know?" Jackie sobbed as she hugged Willow back.

"No, no, no! None of us think that!" Willow told her in a comforting voice. "We've all done things that we regret, but eventually you get over them. And if we get in another fight, no one's going to ask any more of you than to defend yourself and your friends." Jackie sniffled and dried her tears.

"I'm so sick of crying," she said with a sputter. "I want to leave it all behind me so bad."

"I know it, man. It'll get better as time goes on," said Willow.

"Xavier's gonna train me," Jackie said, sitting up and breaking their embrace. "So I can control it. I mean, I guess more than anything, I want to be able to control myself."

"Good plan. He and Scott helped me with my powers, so I'm sure they'll be able to do the same for you," Willow told her.

"I dunno if you've noticed, but Scott's a mess," Jackie said. "Probably more of a mess than I am."

"I know," Willow said. "But who can blame him? You know?"

"Yeah, totally," Jackie said.

"I'm glad you came out of your hole finally," Willow said with a smile. "I missed you."

"Yeah, I'm sorry I've been so weird."

"Don't even worry about it," Willow said. Jackie got up and looked at Willow's large planner that was covered in pen.

"What's all this?" she asked. "School stuff?"

"Yes," muttered Willow angrily. "I'm getting really overwhelmed and I'm tempted to just drop the whole thing."

"What? You can't do that!" Jackie said, her voice concerned.

"You don't come to class anyway, whaddyou care?"

"I've been busy being depressed and hating myself in my room, what did you expect?" she asked, some of her old sarcasm coming back. "I'll start coming," she promised. "Seriously."

"Well, good," Willow said with a sigh.

"Need some help?" Jackie offered. "I dunno anything about plants, but if there's anything I can do…"

"Thanks, dude, but I'm gonna need a miracle," Willow said, shaking her head. A loud _bamf_ heralded Kurt Wagner's sudden presence in the room.

"Vell, if it isn't ze Incredible Nightcrawler!" Willow said in a flawless German accent. "Don't you knock, punk?"

"No, you should know that by now," Kurt said playfully. "_Guten tag_,"

"Buenos dias," Jackie countered in Spanish.

"_Mein_ _Gott_! Jackie! Ven did you come out of your room?" Kurt asked, astonished.

"This morning," Jackie said with a wry little smirk.

"It's good to see you!" he said with a smile.

"You too, man," Jackie said, giving him a thumbs up. "Maybe you can help this jerk-face loser with her crappy lesson plans."

"Glad you're back to your old self…," Willow said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Getting there, jerk-face," Jackie said with a grin. Willow stuck her tongue out at her.

"Vat's the matter, _Liebchen_?" Kurt asked, looking down at Willow's planner.

"I'm a shitty teacher," she grumbled. "Nothing I do makes anyone pay attention and they're all taking advantage of the fact that they know me on a personal level. I've never felt so helpless among friends. Maybe I should just move out and see if anyone'll let me into a university. Get certified as a teacher. I dunno."

"I bet you could," Jackie said. "Cockrum's for Mutant Rights, I bet that'll change things a little."

"Just because the president has certain opinions doesn't mean everyone else will," Willow pointed out. "Plus, he just got elected earlier this month."

"Do you vant to go to college?" Kurt asked her.

"I don't know, I've had such a hard time with public school in the past, I'm sort of afraid to try and go back," Willow said uneasily.

"Because if you vant to, I think you should," he told her.

"Thanks," she said with half a smile. "I guess I'll think about it. But for now, I have to think of a way to make everyone listen to me in class."

"Flunk zem," Kurt said simply with a shrug.

"What?" asked Willow, slightly taken aback.

"If zey don't take the class seriously, threaten to flunk zem," he said.

"They won't take _me_ seriously," Willow said helplessly.

"Zen actually do it! Make zem learn zeir lesson," he said. "Other teachers do it, vy not you?"

"Because they're my friends and they'll hate me," Willow said in a gloomy tone.

"Aha!" Kurt cried. "Zat is vy zey don't respect you. Because zey know zat your words and threats are empty. If you're going to be a teacher, _Liebling_, you must act like one."

"This is way more difficult than I thought it would be," Willow said, feeling as though her world was collapsing in on itself.

"Don't give up," Kurt said with an affectionate smile.

"Mmkay, so I'm gonna leave you guys alone…," Jackie said jokingly. "But I will defiantly come to class tomorrow, and I definitely will do my homework. And if anyone gives you a hard time, I will definitely end them. Violently." Willow laughed.

"Sweet, thanks," she said as Jackie gave the two of them a little wave before exiting the room.

"I actually did have something zat I vanted to talk to you about," Kurt said as he strode over to the bed and sat down. Willow didn't like his tone; something was wrong.

"Uh oh," she said. "What's the matter?"

"It's about my family. Back in ze circus," he said.

"Oh," Willow said. _Not what I expected_, she thought.

"Ven I vas kidnapped by Stryker, I obviously didn't get to tell zem vere I vas or zat I vas leaving in ze first place. For all zey know, I'm laying dead in a ditch somevere," he explained.

"I thought you were captured in the states," Willow said, a little confused. The details of that time were still a little cloudy.

"_Nein, Leibchen_, I vas captured in _Canada_," he said. "It vas the first time ve had traveled outside of Germany."

"Some first trip, huh?" she said with a little grin, glad that Alkali was in the past. "So you can't write them a letter or give them a call?"

"I vould, _Liebchen_, but it is a traveling circus. Zey never stay in van place for more zen a week," Kurt told her. "Before I vas captured, I remember hearing zat zey planned to go back to Munich. It's the only clue I have, but…"

"You want to go to Germany to find them and let them know you're alright," Willow finished for him.

"_Korrekt_," he answered in German. "I don't know how long it vill take to find zem. Veeks, maybe a month." Willow's face fell. Right when she needed his support the most, he was leaving. "And I need to ask you if you vill be alright visout me."

"Er…," Willow stuttered. She wanted so much to yell _NO!_ at the top of her voice and cling to his legs like a stubborn child. They had become so close in the last year. He was always by her side, always there with a fond little smile when she was having a bad day, always making her laugh until tears sprung from her eyes. Kurt Wagner had been there since she started her life over fresh, and now he was leaving.

"I'll be fine," she managed to utter, regaining her adult senses. What else could she say? Kurt's circus family was probably devastated that he was no longer in their lives. Willow couldn't possibly hog him all to herself. She forced a smile.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Willow knew that he would stay if she asked him to. All she had to say was 'No, I don't want you to go.' Seven tiny words and things wouldn't have to change.

"Of course I'm sure," she said, her voice wavering with emotion. "This is important to you, and…" She hadn't even noticed that she'd begun to cry. She fiercely wiped away the tears that had started to accumulate in her eyes. Kurt wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek.

"You're a terrible liar, _Liebchen_," he said with a little smile as she returned the embrace.

"I love you, Kurt Wagner, but I won't be selfish," she told him, her voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

"_Ich_ _liebe Dich auch,_" he told her. _I love you, too_. "I don't vant to leave you here miserable."

"I'm not miserable," Willow countered defensively. "I'm just so damn stressed out. Nothing seems to be going to way it should, what with class and my crappy Danger Room sessions, I worry about Jackie all the time…It's a mess."

"Life never seems to go the vay we imagined, does it?" he said.

"Amen, brother," Willow said jokingly. "But seriously, you should go. I'll be fine. I'll worry about you every day, but that's just something I'm gonna have to get over. You're a big boy, I'm sure you can take care of yourself." This comment caused Kurt to chuckle a little.

"I'm ze van who usually saves you, remember?" he said.

"Kurt Wagner, you're my hero," she said through her nose, manipulating a famous quote from the film, _Ferris Bueller's Day Off._ "When are you leaving?"

"I have a plane ticket for Wednesday afternoon," he said.

"Am I allowed to come see you off?" she asked.

"It vill be right in ze middle of your class," he said.

"Oh," Willow muttered dejectedly.

"But I vill stop in to say goodbye," he promised.

"It's a date," she said sadly with a little smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Bleeding Hearts**

**The Sequel to _Weeping Willow_**

**An X3 Fanfiction by Carrie**

**Chapter Two**

An explosion blew Willow clean off her feet. She collided with a crumbling cement wall before falling to the ground.

"_Shit_!" she cursed under her breath as she picked herself up and took cover behind some rubble.

"Willow! Be mindful of your surroundings!" Storm barked at her from across the field. Willow grimaced at the fact that she'd just been scolded for about the seventeenth time that day. Her mind was not on the task at hand and, at this rate, Storm would be hesitant to ever let her on another mission.

Willow looked around and saw Iceman and Shadowcat in what looked like a big hug. _Fine, protect Bobby, Kitty, I see how it is,_ she thought sarcastically. There'd been no one to make _her_ invulnerable against rockets.

"Storm's signaling us," Bobby said. "We gotta regroup." Willow followed her two younger teammates towards Storms position.

"Alright, people, time's up. No more margin for error," she said, shooting a glance at Willow who responded by clenching her teeth behind her pursed green lips. Storm lead her team in a V formation out into an open space. Willow heard the shots being fired at them and threw herself forward into a James Bond somersault, catching a glimpse of ricocheting shells behind her. She crouched down as far as she could and scrambled for refuge, provided by a stack of junked cars.

"Much better, Willow," Storm commented as they sidled towards the other team comprised of Rouge, Colossus, Blackout (the code name Jackie decided to stick with) and, surprisingly, Wolverine. Willow knew shit was about to fly when Storm caught sight of him.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded angrily.

"Enjoying the scenery," Logan said casually as he lit the end of a cigar on a piece of flaming debris. In another situation, Willow would have laughed, but Storm was in no mood for jokes. Willow heard the sound of a massive amount of air being displaced and knew that something was headed right for them. From down in crouching position, Willow sprang into a series of flawless back flips that got her out of harms way just as a giant, mechanical foot crashed down on the stack of cars that they'd just been hiding behind. In a situation such as this, Willow's plants proved pretty useless. However, her strength, agility and speed were of the utmost importance.

"I got this," Storm barked at Logan as the mechanical foot lifted off of the crunched cars into the smoky atmosphere and out of sight. Willow didn't really want to find out what that foot was attached to. "Everyone stay in formation!" she told her team. "Wait to make your move." Willow watched as Logan began to move off into the rubble by himself.

"Logan!" Storm shouted. "We work as a team!" Logan's mouth curved into a grin around his stub of a cigar.

"You let me know how that works out," he said as he continued casually out into the open. Suddenly, a searchlight snapped on, the adversaries alerted to Logan's presence.

"Move out and stay together!" Storm shouted as the team split apart to find hiding spots outside the searchlight. Storm groaned as she checked the timer strapped to her wrist. They were running out of time and no one was listening to her! "Move _out_!" she cried as she made her way towards the bunker ahead. Her young teammates followed her at a distance, each of them spread out.

"Storm, we're almost there!" Bobby said, right as he passed a proximity mine attached to a chunk of cement near his feet. The mine exploded, sending Bobby flying off his feet. Willow was about to run to help him, but the thundering sound of bullets caused her to dive for cover. Willow found herself sharing her hiding spot with Kitty. The two of them watched the looming shadow of their adversary come closer to Bobby's fallen figure. In retaliation, Colossus wrenched a car door off its hinges.

"Jackie!" he barked.

"Got it!" she responded. Peter looked at Jackie who held her arms up in the air. Just as he released the car door like a Frisbee, Jackie let loose a barrage of electrical bolts from her fingertips, charging the metal in the car with an unimaginable amount of destructive energy. The team heard the door connect, metal on metal, and the sickening _bzzzt!_ of electricity above them. The door thudded back to earth, sizzling and smoking. It was uncertain whether or not they'd actually done any damage. Kitty and Willow looked at each other and said simultaneously: "We're screwed."

"Good arm," Logan commented ten yards away, still acting as though the ensuing violence had absolutely no affect on him. He had an idea just then. A crazy but brilliant idea. "Throw me."

"Huh?" Peter grunted. Wolverine drew his claws and pointed with them.

"_Throw me!_" he growled. Peter did as he was told and chucked Logan like a javelin towards whatever lay above the haze. Willow heard the tremendous whine of metal being slashed apart before a giant hunk of metal crashed to the ground. It was the head of some kind of robot. Its body self destructed before them, sending Logan flying towards the ground. He landed on his feet with a thud. Willow and Kitty came out from their hiding places as an alarm sounded, signaling that their time was up. The battlefield around them shifted and melted away into the metallic imaging panels of the Danger Room.

Storm lead the students out of the Danger Room before turning on her heel and confronting Logan.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded.

"Danger Room session," he remarked with a shrug. The young X-men inched away from the ensuing argument and into the locker rooms.

"Jackie, Willow, don't go anywhere," Storm told them, stopping the two friends dead in their tracks. They looked at each other and shrugged. "You know what I mean," she barked at Logan. "You can't just come and go as you please. We're trying to run a school here."

"Well, I taught 'em something," he said with a shrug.

"If you'd have read the syllabus, you would have known that this was supposed to be a _defensive_ exercise," she said angrily. "Using teamwork in evasive maneuvers."

"Hey, sometimes the best defense is a good offense…or was it the other way around?" he mused.

"I'll try to remember that for my next class," she muttered as she turned to talk to the two girls.

"Hey, I'm just the sub. If you have a problem, you can talk to Scott," he fired back. Storm ignored him until he walked away. She closed her eyes and heaved a frustrated sigh.

"I'm sorry, girls," she said, trying to play off her anger. "I just wanted to say how proud I am, of both of you, for the progress that you've made."

"Thanks," Jackie said, looking thrilled. Her sessions with Storm and the Professor had worked wonders in a very short amount of time. She no longer had to rely on her chain for a conductor. Storm had taught her to project her electricity with her hands just as Ororo did with her lightning. Jackie's control over her own strength made her less fearful of it by the day. Her confidence had increased ten fold and it gave her a nice self esteem boost. "Nice teamwork with Peter." Jackie nodded vigorously.

"Willow, I know you have a lot on your mind, and I was glad to see that you were able to finally put it behind you and focus on the mission. I've fought beside you before and, believe me, you're an asset to this team. I just need you to concentrate when I ask you to," Storm told her.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm not at my best lately," Willow said, still angry with herself. "I just have so much going on."

"If you ever want to talk about it, I'm always around," Storm offered.

"Thanks," Willow said. With that, they headed off to the locker rooms to change out of their uniforms and to get some rest.

* * *

Today was the day. No more Ms. Nicegirl. Willow had had it with her friends and students and she wouldn't allow them to push her around anymore. Do your assignments or I fail you. Short, sweet, to the point. Easy to understand.

She stood in front of her full length mirror examining her appearance once more before heading outside: An electric blue zip-up hoodie with a white camisole underneath, a pair of jeans with the knees blown out and a grubby pair of converse all stars. Her hair, which had grown considerably since she cut it last, was drawn up into a long pony tail. She pushed her sleeves up to her green elbows and snatched her copy of _Beginner's Horticulture_ and her outline of lecture notes before heading outside.

The afternoon was sunny and bright, but a little chilly. She could see her class on the lawn ahead, a mere twelve students. She heaved a deep breath before putting on a smile.

"Hi, guys," she said as she approached them.

"Hey," they muttered sporadically, happy to see her but a little bored with the idea of sitting around for another hour.

"Is everyone here?" she asked aloud, checking the group of faces. She smiled when she saw Jackie; this was her second consecutive day attending class. But someone was missing. "Has anyone seen Jubilee today?"

"Yeah, she was in History this morning," Kitty ratted.

"Any chance she might show up?" Willow asked.

"Doubtful," Kitty said, sounding bored.

"Well, sucks to be her, I guess. Everyone grab a sheet of paper, we're having a quiz," Willow announced. Everyone blanched as they stared at her. This was totally out of character for their young teacher. She _never_ gave out pop quizzes. "You heard me, we're taking a quiz!" There was a shuffling of backpacks and notebooks as her class retrieved the necessary materials.

"It's gonna be just one question, super easy because we covered it yesterday," Willow said, watching half the class squirm due to the fact that most of them weren't there yesterday. "What is the scientific name of lupine?" They all stared blankly at her.

"We can't possibly know that," one of them complained.

"Why not?" Willow asked pleasantly. "Didn't you take notes?" The young boy opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again in defeat.

"I'll repeat the question: What is the scientific name of lupine?" she said again. "Pass those up here when you're done." After a few moments of her students scribbling down half-assed answers, they passed their sheets of paper up.

"Why do you think I gave you this quiz?" she asked as she tucked their papers in her text book.

"'Cause you're menstrual?" whispered the same boy that had sassed her just moments ago. His friend sniggered in response.

"_Excuse_ me?" Willow asked, anger flaring in her eyes. She opened her book and flipped through the stack of quizzes until she found his. She smiled at him sarcastically before crumpling his quiz in her fist. Everyone gaped as she tossed the ball of notebook paper to him. He caught it, but looked extremely angry.

"Why don't you find Jubilee and skip class together?" she offered. The boy got the hint and left the lawn.

"Goddamn, way to go, Willow," Jackie said with a grin.

"Thanks. So, Jackie, why do _you_ think I gave out that quiz?" Willow said.

"Because you're sick of being taken advantage of," Jackie said.

"Exactly," Willow said with a smile. "You guys have done nothing but disrespect me from day one. So I'm gonna make this a little harder for you. We're gonna have quizzes, first thing, every day, so you'd better take notes so you can answer the question and you'd better be here. Each quiz will consist of one question, nothing I haven't already taught you, and each one will be worth 15 points. I've got essays planned for you. Weekly. Twenty points each. The final will be cumulative, so I hope you make time to read the pages I give you every night. This isn't going to be impossible, but you're going to have to work to get that easy A you thought you'd pick up by taking this class."

"Fair enough," Bobby said with a shrug.

"I think so," Willow said with a grin. "Now, we're gonna pick up where we left off yesterday. We've been talking about plant diseases and how to take care of them, for those of you that haven't been here." She set her book down and concentrated. Her eyes glowed a bright green as a patch of pink hollyhock sprouted quickly from the ground.

"What plant is this?" she asked.

"Hollyhock," Kyle Jones answered.

"Bingo," she said. She concentrated again and orange-ish yellow spots bloomed on the surface of some of the plants' leaves. "Now, what's wrong with this picture?"

"It's got a disease," Kitty said lazily. Kitty Pryde was not only known around the mansion for her ability to pass through walls. She was also extremely smart and had incredible computer skills. This class was a no-brainer for her.

"Of course it does. This particular disease is known as 'Rust'. You might wanna write down the definition before coming to take a look," she said. "Rust is characterized by these orange/yellow spots on its leaves. This is caused by the teliospores of a certain kind of fungus. It affects the leaf surface and causes them to die prematurely. The flowers are normally unaffected, but the disease can spread to other leaves, so it's important to keep an eye out for these marks." The class scribbled this down manically. Willow waited for them to get done writing. She looked up casually and saw a man approaching on the lawn. He was around 5'9", brown, short hair, a kind face with big brown eyes. He had a backpack over one shoulder and in the opposite hand he held a battered, dark brown trench coat. She hadn't recognized him right away, but she knew who it was when she saw the watch-like device around his right wrist.

"Hey, handsome," she greeted with a little smirk. Her class stopped writing for a moment and turned to see who it was.

"I have to leave now, _Liebchen_," Kurt Wagner's voice told her.

"Turn that stupid thing off," she said. The image-inducer had always made her a little uncomfortable, but it allowed Kurt to blend in with everyone else. He pressed a button on the watch, causing the hologram around him to shimmer and disappear, leaving his natural, blue self exposed.

"I'm cuter this way, I know," Kurt joked with a sigh and a shrug.

"Aint it the truth," Willow said with a grin. "Take a look at those Hollyhock leaves, you guys, I'll be right back," she told her class.

"Are zey behaving zemselves?" Kurt asked as he walked with her away from her students.

"Yeah, actually. I gave them a pop quiz and gave one kid no credit for being a snot to me," she said with a triumphant grin.

"Very good," he said with a smile. "I knew you could do it."

"How much time do we have?" she asked.

"Oh, five minutes, I think," he answered a little awkwardly. "Airport security, you know. It'll take forever to get on ze plane."

"True story," Willow sighed. After a little silence, she spoke up. "I'm gonna miss you like crazy."

"Likevise," he replied.

"Promise you won't, you know…get hurt, or kidnapped?" she asked.

"I promise," he said. "Do you promise that _you_ won't get hurt vile I'm gone?"

"I think I'm gonna be okay," she said. "A few sessions in the Danger Room'll prepare anyone for anything."

"Maybe not _everysing_," he said suggestively. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve you haven't seen yet."

"Oh really, Mr. Catholic?" Willow teased.

"Really. You're in for a surprise when I get back," he replied, giving her a seductive eyebrow twitch. Willow laughed a little before he pulled her into a hug. "I'll be back before you can blink."

"I hope so," Willow said, hugging him tighter, feeling as though she was on the verge of tears. Their hug loosened up enough to get a quick kiss in before they broke apart.

"See you ven I see you," he said with a smile as he turned the image inducer back on, shrouding his face behind features that were not his own.

"Be safe," she said.

"Good bye for now, _Liebchen_," he said, repeating her pet name that she loved so very much.

"See ya, handsome," she returned. He gave her a quick smile before he disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke. She stood there with her hands on her hips and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to control her tears.

She walked back to the area where her class was examining the Rust spots.

"You okay?" Jackie asked her under her breath.

"Yeah, I'm good," Willow said shortly. She'd always been a bad liar. "So did everyone get a good look? Right, so I'm gonna talk a little about black leaf spots, which are similar, and a little about powdery mildew and then we'll be done for today." If one thing had gone right in the last few months, it was that she'd finally gotten her class under control.

Just as she finished up her lecture, dark clouds began to accumulate in the sky. Willow looked up at the mansion and could see the figure of Ororo Munroe standing on the balcony of the second floor. _Something's wrong_, Willow thought as she felt the first few drops of rain.

"Alright, you guys, good class today, I'll let you get inside before it starts raining," she said as she waved her hand over the hollyhocks, the rose bush and the dogwood tree that she'd grown. Each of them withered and died, decomposing into the ground from whence they came. Willow snatched up her book from the grass and hurried inside as the wind picked up around her.

Her hair was thoroughly tousled before she got inside. She tried her best to flatten it out, but it was of no use. She hurried to her room on the second floor to drop off her text book before heading over to the balcony. She glanced outside, but the whole area was vacant and the menacing clouds above had dissolved into the beautiful day it had been before.

"Where'd she go?" Willow wondered aloud as she exited the balcony. She was about to look for Storm downstairs when she heard voices coming from the drawing room to her right. She knocked politely before poking her head inside. Both Storm and the Professor were inside with a familiar, furry guest.

"Dr. McCoy!" Willow cried in surprise, happy to see the man who had nursed her back to health months ago. His big blue face split into a smile and a hearty laugh issued from his massive chest. They gave each other a loose, polite hug.

"Why, Willow Stevens!" he said jovially. "How are you, my dear?"

"Fine, fine," she said. "My first successful class just got out."

"But you've been teaching for months," he said, looking a little confused.

"Yeah, I know," she said, giving him a tired, stressed out look.

"Ah, well, teaching quite the undertaking for the first few years, but your finesse will blossom in time," Dr. McCoy told her in an understanding way. "And, by the way, I hereby give you permission to drop all the formalities and call me Hank."

"Can do, Hank," she said with a grin. Willow looked from Storm to the Professor. "So is something wrong? Should I leave?" Xavier looked to Hank for the answer to Willow's question.

"I don't see anything wrong with you staying. You are, after all, part of the staff and a capable adult," Hank said thoughtfully. Then his expression turned solemn. "Getting back to the reason for my visit; I have some news."

"Erik?" The Professor asked urgently. Willow was always amazed that the Professor could just sit there in anticipation for someone to give him bad news when he could simply read their thoughts and find out for himself. She didn't think she'd be able to resist.

"No," said Hank with a shake of his head. "Although, we are making some progress on that front. Mystique was apprehended last week."

"They caught her?" Storm asked in a disbelieving voice.

"Probably not for long…," Willow muttered, having witnessed first hand all the amazing and terrible things Mystique was capable of.

"Indeed," Xavier seconded. "The question is now, how will they keep her?"

"For the moment," Hank said, looking relieved, "that's Bolivar Trask's job, thank God, but I-"

"Hey, furball," Logan greeted bluntly from the now open door. Willow was in a constant mixture of amusement and exasperation around Logan. Half the things he said were extremely humorous; however his timing was sorely lacking.

Hank looked slightly perturbed at the nickname that had just been thrown at him, but he kept a straight face.

"Nice to see that you're still in one piece, Wolverine," Hank said curtly. The two had met briefly during the time that Dr. McCoy was treating Willow for her injuries that she sustained while fighting at Alkali Lake, but that didn't necessarily mean that they'd become fast friends.

"You too, Mr. Secretary of whatever it is you do," Logan said sarcastically.

"Secretary of Mutant Affairs," Hank corrected through a set of angry, gritted teeth.

"Nice suit," Logan remarked, continuing to antagonize their guest.

"Still quite the animal, I see," Hank volleyed.

"Look who's talking," Logan said with a smirk. Willow was glad that Storm decided to step up and end this little macho-match.

"Magneto isn't going to be happy about Mystique," she commented.

"Yeah, I hope your prison has plastic screws," Logan said, wanting the last word of their shit-pitching. Hank decided to take the high road and ignore this last remark.

"Magneto isn't the problem. At least, not our most pressing one," he said. Willow became a little worried at this point. What could be worse than Magneto and Mystique exacting revenge on the human race? "A major pharmaceutical company has developed a…," he searched for the word, "a mutant antibody. A way to suppress the X-gene."

"'Suppress'?" asked Logan with a raised eyebrow.

"Permanently," Hank said. The room fell quiet as the news sunk in. Willow still couldn't believe what she was hearing. "They're calling it a cure." Logan uttered a snort of disapproval, but stayed quiet. Storm, on the other hand, could not take such news as gracefully as her gruff teammate.

"This is crazy," she said, outraged, "You can't cure being a mutant."

"Well, scientifically speaking…," Hank began, but Ororo cut him off.

"Since when are we a disease?" she cried incredulously. "I've been called many things in my life, Henry, but a _disease_?"

"Ororo," the Professor said sternly, but she wasn't listening to him. "Storm!" he barked, finally getting her attention. "It's being announced right now." Logan snatched up a remote and turned the modest television set to a news channel. The five of them watched anxiously as a man called Warren Worthington Jr. was giving a speech about his new 'cure'.

"They've been called saints and sinners," he began, already hitting a nerve with Willow. "They've committed atrocities and been the victims of atrocities themselves. They've been labeled monsters, and not without reason." Willow could feel her blood start to boil as she and Hank exchanged angry glances. It was harder for some mutants than others to blend in with society and to avoid hurtful labels. Both Hank and Willow knew first hand how cruel the world could be.

"But these so-called monsters are people, just like us. They are our fathers and mothers, our brothers and sisters. Our children. Their affliction is nothing more than a disease; a corruption of healthy cellular activity. Finally, there is hope. A way to eradicate their suffering and the suffering of those who love them." Worthington produced a slide of a DNA helix and a photo of a young boy, maybe ten. He was bald and a little scared looking.

"A few years ago, we found a mutant with the most extraordinary ability – to repress, and even _reverse_ the powers of those other mutants who came close to him. Now, after much research and experimentation, we've found a means for all mutants to get close to him. This site, which was once the world's most famous prison, will now be the source of freedom for mutants everywhere. Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present the answer to mutation. Finally, we have a cure!" he said, looking triumphant.

Storm looked livid as she snatched the remote from Wolverine and turned off the TV set.

"Who would _want_ this cure? I mean, what kind of coward would take it just to fit in?" she raged.

"Easy for you to say," Willow said with a sad little quirk of a smile.

"I understand your concerns, Ororo. For God's sake, that's why I'm here! But not all of us have an easy time fitting in. After all, _you_ don't shed on the furniture," Hank said sardonically.

"I'm sorry," Storm said, knowing that she had gone too far. "I didn't mean it that way."

"Don't apologize," Logan growled. "For all we know, the government helped cook this mess up."

"I can assure you, the government had nothing to do with this," Hank said with certainty.

"I've heard that one before," Logan said sarcastically. Hank had had just about enough of Logan's obnoxious remarks.

"My boy," he barked, "I've been fighting for mutant rights since before you had claws."

"Did he just call me 'boy'?" Logan asked Storm angrily.

"You guys!" Willow cried. Her sudden outburst caused the whole room to stare at her. She shook her head at the lot of them. "Just stop."

"Willow's right, that's quite enough," Xavier said, more annoyed than anyone had ever seen him.

"Is it true?" Rogue's familiar voice said from the open doorway that Logan had neglected to close behind him. "Can they really cure us?"

"It's not, is it?" Jackie added from behind. Logan, Ororo, Hank and Xavier exchanged looks, none of them knowing quite how to answer.

"No," Storm said bluntly, walking over to the two of them. Jackie didn't seem nearly as distressed as Rogue did, but she got a hug nonetheless. "Girls, they can't 'cure' us. Do you want to know why? Because there's nothing to cure. You might as well try curing anyone with natural talent: Mozart, Da Vinci, Shakespeare." She reached out to take Rogue's hands in a gesture of comfort and understanding, but Rogue flinched and drew away. "Marie, nothing is wrong with you. Or with any of us, for that matter. You understand?"

Rogue gave a hollow little nod, but Storm's words had fallen on deaf ears. Rogue left the room, but Jackie didn't follow her.

"But they can still do it, cant they?" Jackie said, wanting a definitive answer.

"Scientifically speaking, yes, they can," Hank said.

"It seems wrong," Jackie responded with a shake of her head.

"It _is_ wrong," Storm huffed.

"I wouldn't do it," Jackie added.

"Neither would I," Willow seconded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Bleeding Hearts**

**The Sequel to _Weeping Willow_**

**An X3 Fanfiction by Carrie**

**Chapter Three**

Jackie stared up at her ceiling in deep thought, something she'd mastered in her months of self isolation.

"A cure, huh," she muttered to her small, desolate room. "A cure for _what_? Being different? Great, that's all anyone needs. We're _all_ different, for Christ's sake…." A nostalgic sound echoed through the room: someone was knocking on her door. Too lazy to bother getting up and answering it, she simply said, "Come on in."

"Hey," Willow said as she let herself in. "What're you doing in here?"

"Thinking," Jackie said.

"'Bout the news?" Willow asked.

"Yeah," Jackie replied. "I mean, it's not that I'm thinking about getting the cure, or whatever. Sure, it'd be nice to be able to see normally again, but I really feel like I'm making progress with this whole electricity thing. I don't want to give it up now that I'm starting to gain control. You know?"

"Sure," Willow agreed.

"You'd have to be really cowardly or have a really, really bad mutation to get that. I mean, can you imagine? It's permanent; you'd never be able to grow another flower again. When I think about it, my power could really come in handy. If I eventually master it, I could jump start a car, or someone's _heart_. You know? Something useful. Ever since the Professor's been giving me lessons, I'm starting to see the positive side of this. The cure, I think, should be getting control of yourself. I think it's lame to try and fix people who're different."

"It'd be like trying to find a way to turn black people white," Willow suggested. "No one would ever go for that. But for some reason, it's okay to do that shit to us." Willow shook her head. "I feel like we just can't get a break, you know? It's all gotten so hard to just have a normal life."

"Willow, we're _never_ gonna have a normal life," Jackie said bluntly. "This is it, kid. This is the hand we were dealt, now we have to do the best we can with what we got. It ain't fair, but what is? You know?"

"Yeah. Fuck it," Willow sighed, throwing her hands in the air with very little enthusiasm. "Anyone who wants to take my abilities away from me can kiss my ass."

"Over my dead body," Jackie agreed with a smirk. "But you know…Rogue's gonna do it."

"Really?" Willow asked, slightly alarmed.

"That's what she said. But I really can't blame her, she can't even touch anyone," Jackie said.

"I guess…" She wasn't completely convinced. "Should we…talk to her about it?" Willow wondered awkwardly.

"Nah," Jackie said, shaking her head. "This is her decision. We can't pressure her one way or another. She'll do what's right for her."

"Yeah," Willow sighed. "You're right."

"Good class today," Jackie said, changing the subject with a genuinely amused grin.

"Hey, thanks," Willow said, feeling better about being a teacher.

"Trent is a little piece of shit," she said referring to the kid that Willow had kicked out of class. "That was so funny, how you chucked his quiz at him. Awesome."

"Well, he can't mess with me anymore. End of story," Willow said firmly. "If he doesn't want to come to class, he doesn't have to. I'll just fail his sorry ass."

"He deserves it," Jackie said.

"Yeah, he does," Willow agreed. "I hate to say it, but it was sort of empowering. I owe Kurt for the encouragement."

"Oh yeah, he left, didn't he?" Jackie remembered.

"Yep," Willow said, clearly not happy about it.

"He'll be back," Jackie assured her.

"I know, it's just tough 'cause he couldn't have left at a worse time, you know? I'm really stressed out and shit's hitting the fan more and more every day and I just sorta…need him," she said with a little shrug.

"No you don't," Jackie said decidedly. "Necessity implies that you can't live without him. And I could be wrong, but I don't think you're dead and/or dying."

"When did you get so goddamn smart?" Willow grumbled.

"When did you get so goddamn stupid?" Jackie countered.

"Shut up," Willow said with a smile. She was so glad to have Jackie back in her life, she could have jumped for joy. "I'm glad you're back, Jack. Life sucks without you."

"What can I say, I'm awesome. I can't help it," Jackie said casually with a shrug. "And I'm also tired, and I have Horticulture homework to do, thanks to you. So get out."

"Fine, you do that homework," Willow said in a false angry voice. "And if you have any questions, come down and ask me, bitch!"

"Get out, whore!" Jackie practically shouted, a smirk all over her face.

"Skank!"

"Asshole!" Willow sputtered for one last comeback but couldn't think of anything else. Jackie grinned smugly. "I win."

"_This _time," Willow submitted, getting up to leave. "See you tomorrow in class. Be there or be a jerk."

"Oh, I'll be there," Jackie promised. Willow stuck her tongue out at her best friend before leaving the room.

* * *

Willow lay in bed, tears shimmering in her eyes. She knew she was being ridiculous. Kurt would be back in a couple weeks, just like he said. But with the news of a cure plastered all over headlines everywhere, she was worried about what would become of him. As long as he kept the image inducer on at all times, he would be alright. She had to have faith in the fact that he would come home safe.

She glanced sideways at her digital clock that was perched on her nightstand. 2:34am. Succumbing to the fact that she wouldn't get a wink of decent sleep that night, she got out of bed and headed down to the kitchen to grab something to eat. When she arrived, she was surprised to see that someone else was already there. A big, blue, furry someone in green stripped pajamas.

"Hey, Hank," she said. The Secretary looked up through a pair of reading glasses.

"We meet again," he said as he slipped a bookmark in between the pages of a particularly think novel and set down a half eaten gallon of chocolate ice cream.

"Midnight snack?" she asked him as she glanced at the carton.

"Ah, yes, well, you caught me," he said with a little shrug. "It just so happens that I'm an emotional eater."

"You're secret's safe with me," Willow said getting a spoon out of the drawer. "'Cause I am too. Gimme some of that." Hank chuckled as he slid the ice cream toward her.

"It's the stress. It's making me fatter every day," Hank commented, patting his stomach.

"It's ok, we'll get fat together," Willow said as she set the Polaroid she'd been carting around with her for the last few hours down on the island counter before taking the cylindrical carton.

"May I?" Hank asked politely, gesturing to the Polaroid snapshot.

"Oh," Willow said. "Sure. Here." Hank took the photo from her and examined it. He recognized the two figures as Willow and Kurt, both laughing and wearing pirate costumes. "Halloween," Willow said. "We had so much fun with the younger ones, trick or treating around the mansion. He's so great with kids, you know…He and I got into a fake swordfight for all of his little admirers. Did you know he can fence? With a rapier in both hands and one in his tail? It's incredible."

"I'd almost forgotten to inquire about our friend's whereabouts," Hank said. "How is he?"

"Fine. He's great," she said simply with a little shrug. "He left some family behind in Germany during the whole Stryker episode, so he's gone back to make sure they know he's alright."

"How kind of him," Hank said as he handed her back the picture.

"Yeah," she said as she smiled fondly at the picture. "He's only been gone for two days, but I'm just worried sick about him."

"I don't blame you," he said, watching her take a huge bite of chocolate ice cream. He grinned. "I feel that you and I have much in common, Willow. Much of the same attitudes toward life and much of the same hardships."

"Think so?" Willow asked, flattered that he would compare her with himself. During the short time that she'd gotten to know Dr. McCoy, she'd come to admire him. He was kind, cultured, and intelligent and had a good sense of humor to boot. "I do have a special place in my heart for furry blue men." This produced a chuckle from Hank.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said. "Unfortunately, others don't feel the same way."

"Anyone who would turn their nose up at you before getting to know you is missing out," Willow said firmly.

"Likewise," he replied. "It's so difficult, isn't it? Not being able to just disappear into a crowd."

"It is," she agreed. "But I've found out that the people who are worth it don't judge."

"That is very true," Dr. McCoy agreed. "Very true indeed."

"This cure isn't the answer, though," Willow said through some ice cream. "People should learn some tolerance before trying to make us into something we're not. This is how I was born," she said, gesturing to her body in general. "Well, my arms, eyes and lips have been green for only a year now, but that's not the point. I've had these powers since I can remember, and my take on it is that they're mine to keep, whether or not I'm persecuted for it."

"My thoughts exactly," Hank said. "I've worked hard for years to get into the position I'm in now. To earn the respect that men far less competent than I have received well before I have. And I've been blue since college," he said with a fond little smile.

"Well, ya done good so far," she said.

"Thank you," he said. "I actually have to try my best to do more good in the morning."

"Leaving so soon?" Willow asked in a disappointed voice.

"Duty calls," he said. "I have a meeting with Kavita Rao, Warren Worthington Jr.'s assistant. As the Secretary of Mutant Affairs, I have to make sure that they are treating the young boy properly."

"He's the source of the cure, right?" Willow asked.

"More like the inspiration," McCoy replied. "I'll learn more tomorrow."

"Keep us updated," Willow said.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll be back," Hank said with a smile. "I never can stay away from this place for too long."

"Well, I might as well try to sleep again. My class starts at eleven, but I always find myself scrambling to get everything together.

"Before you go," McCoy said awkwardly. "I have an unusual request."

"Shoot."

"May I have a small skin sample from your arms? I'm interested to know what causes the pigment," he said.

"Sure, whenever," she said. "As long as it doesn't involve cutting me open."

"Nothing of the sort, rest assured," Hank told her. "Perhaps when I return from my errands."

"Alright, well, I hope everything goes according to plan tomorrow," she said.

"As do I," he agreed. "As William Shakespeare once said: 'To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first.' We'll see how much I actually get accomplished…" "Good quote," Willow said with a smile. 

"Indeed. Pleasant dreams."

"Good night," Willow said with a smile. She picked up the Polaroid and headed back up to her room.

* * *

Hank had left the mansion before Willow got out of bed in the morning on his long flight to San Francisco. She meant to say goodbye, but she thought that she'd hold him to his word that he'd be back.

With one final glance at the clock in her room to make sure she was on time, Willow picked up her text book and exited her room. She inserted the key into the lock, but in mid twist, she suddenly felt as if her mind were being blasted out her ears.

"Gah!" she cried in agony, falling to her knees. She clutched the sides of her head as she sunk further into fetal position. A blow to the head with a baseball bat would be a pleasant release from the pain that was coursing through Willow's skull. She watched as the hall began to fill with the mansion's residents, all of them in utter anguish. It lasted for all of around ten seconds, but it felt like it would go on forever.

When at last the pain subsided, Willow was out of breath and sweating. She felt something drip out of her nose and upon investigation, she discovered that it was blood. She wiped her nose on the back of her hand and looked at the results; there was no doubt about it, she had a nosebleed. Willow had been chucked around the Danger Room for months and in all the times of getting blasted, crushed and hit in the face with rubble, she'd never once sustained a nosebleed. Ever. Willow knew of only one person who could mentally affect everyone at the same time to the point of nausea and nosebleeds, and that was the Professor. Something was terribly wrong.

"What's going on?" one of the younger students asked Willow.

"I dunno," she said getting shakily to her feet. 20 sets of eyes were all fixed on her, looking for answers. "Everyone get back in your rooms," she said awkwardly, never having to administer this much authority before. Surprisingly, most of them did as they were told.

"What happened?" the stragglers asked.

"I don't know yet," she repeated. "I'm gonna go talk to the Professor now, so I need you to get back to your rooms just in case something's up. Okay?" The last of the kids made their way back to their rooms.

Once the hall was empty, Willow snatched her keys that were still dangling from the doorknob and raced down the hall towards the grand staircase. She met Storm on the landing, coming down from the fourth floor.

"What the hell happened?" Willow asked, baffled.

"I don't know yet. Where's Logan?" she asked.

"I haven't seen him," Willow answered as the two of them raced down to ground level. They ran into Logan at the bottom and the three of them hurried to the Professor's office. Logan practically threw open the door.

"Professor?" Ororo called.

"You okay?" Logan growled. Willow was shocked to see Professor Xavier panting and pale as a ghost, sitting behind his desk.

"You need to get to Alkali Lake," he barked at them. "_Now_."

"Me too?" Willow wondered as Storm and Wolverine headed in the general direction of the Blackbird.

"No, Willow, you stay here. I need someone to help with the students," he said, looking entirely too shaken up for Willow's own personal comfort.

"Professor, what's going on?" she asked.

"I can't tell yet," he said. "But something is not right."

* * *

Jackie groaned as she hugged the toilet, feeling as if she were going to vomit again. The pain that had torn through her skull was unbelievable. Every time she accidentally thought back on it, she felt nauseous again.

"Jackie?" she heard someone call from outside her room.

"Come in at your own risk…," Jackie hiccupped. Willow poked her head into the room.

"Are you alright in here?" Willow asked in an urgent voice.

"I think I just threw up my spleen," Jackie muttered into the toilet bowl. "What was that a minute ago?"

"Something's wrong with the Professor," Willow said. "We don't know what yet."

"A grand time to be vague, thanks," Jackie said with a sickly burp. "Jesus, I feel like I'm gonna die. What'd he do to everyone?"

"When I know, I'll tell you," Willow said. "I gotta check on everyone else to make sure they're okay. Are you gonna be alright?"

"Yeah, my toilet and I are just having a little bonding time, here," Jackie said wryly. "Don't worry about me."

"You sure?"

"Get outta here and check on the kids, you idiot," Jackie growled. Willow left Jackie alone and went from room to room, checking to see that everyone was alright. Most of them just had residual headaches but the common symptoms among those more affected were vomiting and nosebleeds.

"Do we have any Tylenol or Asprin?" asked one of the younger students.

"Probably," Willow said. "Anyone who wants headache medicine, come downstairs to the kitchen with me," she announced to the entire second floor, whose residents had since come out of their rooms. "Can someone go upstairs and tell them we're going downstairs?" An older girl of about fourteen volunteered. In all, Willow had a caravan of around 20 students accompany her to the ground floor. Once in the kitchen, Willow pulled down a large bottle of Ibuprofen and read the directions.

"Okay, everyone who's twelve and over, raise your hand," she said. The hands of more than half of the group went up. "Okay, everyone who just raised their hands, take two. Everyone else younger than twelve gets just one. Let's not make today any worse by O.D.ing via Ibuprofen." She popped the lid off and sent the bottle around to everyone present.

"Is that blood?" Siryn asked, looking from Willow's hand to her nose.

"Oh," Willow muttered. In all the commotion, she'd nearly forgotten to take care of herself. She inched past the crowd of students to the sink where she washed off her hands and nose until the blood had completely disappeared. She sighed as she dried herself off with a paper towel. _I could really use you right now, Kurt_, she thought desperately as she listened to the muttering, crying and painful remarks of the kids around her. After everyone got their dose of headache relief, they all got in line for water.

"Don't cry, guys, everything's gonna be okay," Willow said, getting down on one knee for her favorite group of little 10 year olds.

"Where's Mr. Summers?" asked Susan, the little red head. Willow opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't have an answer. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen Scott for a couple days. Due to the fact that Scott usually spent his days alone in his room, it wasn't unusual for people to lose track of him. But this was different. A horrible feeling settled in the bottom of Willow's gut; this little girl was a developing telepath.

"He's, uh…," Willow began, "He's out on a trip, but he'll be back soon." She knew that Susan didn't believe a word of it, but it was mostly for the other three. "So don't worry." Susan's tears didn't stop. "Hey, do you guys wanna watch a movie?"

"I dunno," Lillian said, looking up at Willow through her coke-bottle glasses.

"It might take your mind off things," Willow said with a little smile.

"Okay," they agreed.

"If anyone wants to stick around, we're gonna watch a movie in the living room," Willow announced. Around half the kids that had come down for a remedy for their headache stayed to watch Disney's _Aladdin_. Usually the film took Willow back to her childhood, but today it was like a torture. There was definitely something wrong and all Willow could do was sit around and wait.


	4. Chapter 4

**Bleeding Hearts**

**The Sequel to _Weeping Willow_**

**An X3 Fanfiction by Carrie**

**Chapter Four**

It was amazing and utterly unbelievable. Jean Grey was back, alive but still unconscious, salvaged from Alkali Lake only a day ago. And it chilled Jackie to the bone.

"People don't come back from that," she said with a shake of her head the night after they'd discovered her. It was three in the morning and they were sitting on Willow's bed. Crowded in the room were Kitty, Peter and Bobby. "People don't just survive that sort of thing. I mean, if you think about it, _thousands_ of pounds of water came down on her. She should be battered, bruised, _hurt_ in some way."

"I dunno, maybe she blocked it all with her telekinesis," Willow said with a lame little shrug. She didn't believe a word that had just slipped past her own lips.

"Then she would have come back on her own!" Jackie said. "It's been _months_. You don't just chill at the bottom of a lake for _months_ and then just mysteriously come back to life. It's fundamentally wrong."

"I want to argue with you, man, I really do. 'Cause it's Jean, you know? But I can't. And you wanna hear something really weird?" Willow said, remembering Susan's remark. "You guys know Susan St. Brown?"

"The little red head?" Jackie said.

"Yeah. Well, she's getting more and more telepathic everyday, and yesterday, right after the Professor had his little freak out, she asked where Scott was, out of the blue," Willow said. "Now Jean turns up, they find Scott's bike out in the woods near the lake, but no sign of him. So where the hell is he?"

"That's creepy," Jackie said with an involuntary shiver. "Oh, man, I don't even want to think about what that could mean. No way."

"What're you saying?" Kitty asked, her face blanching.

"I'm saying he could be hurt somewhere," Willow said. "Or worse."

"Something's not right around here," Peter grunted through a Russian accent. "You don't have to be psychic to know that."

"And whatever it is, it's disturbing," Jackie said.

"Has anyone gone in to see her?" Bobby asked.

"Storm has invited me to go for a visit down in the infirmary a couple times, but I dunno if I wanna do it," Willow said nervously.

"Don't," Jackie said with a shake of her head. "I'm not going anywhere near her. I have a really bad feeling about all of this. If you have questions, I say go to the Professor."

"If he'll even tell me anything," Willow muttered.

"Better that than being filled in once shit starts hitting the fan," Jackie said.

"I could go down and take a look…," Kitty started to say.

"Don't be stupid," Jackie snapped.

"Don't worry about it," said Willow. "I'll ask tomorrow."

* * *

Willow waited patiently outside Professor Xavier's office. She could still hear the muffled drone of his Ethics lecture coming to a close. As soon as he let his class out, he greeted Willow with a tired smile.

"Shut the door," he said simply. Willow followed his instructions and sat down.

"How is she?" Willow asked.

"I'm not sure," Professor X admitted. "Honestly, I'm a little surprised that you haven't come down to visit her."

"It's not that I don't care," Willow said quickly. "The whole situation just…scares me."

"It probably should," Xavier said.

"Professor," Willow said, unnerved by his last remark, "what's going on? What happened to her?" Xavier let out a long sigh.

"Willow, it's so complicated," he said, his voice weary. "When I first met Jean, when she was very young, I could tell that her powers were…virtually limitless. I had hoped in the beginning that by separating her unconscious mind, where her powers were boundless and unchecked, and her conscious mind, where she could control them with relative ease, that we could one day merge the two safely."

"How would you go about separating off someone's mind?" Willow asked, still very confused.

"I used a series of psychic barriers," he explained. "I had no idea that in doing so, she would end up with a split personality."

"Wait…," Willow said, shaking her head. "So Jean's had two personalities this whole time?"

"Since she was young, yes," Xavier replied.

"And does she know about this?" Willow asked.

"Honestly, I'm not sure how much she knows," he said. "The pressing problem is that the Jean we know is the conscious Jean who has control of her powers. The other half, the unconscious half that has been controlled by the barriers, is loose in her mind. In my sessions with this half, it came to call itself The Phoenix."

"So…now that the Phoenix is loose…what'll happen?" Willow asked slowly.

"I can't say that I know," Xavier said. "It is a being of purely primal instincts: joy, desire and sometimes, undiluted rage. I fear that because Jean was preserved at the bottom of Alkali Lake in a sort of…psychic cocoon that could only have been created by the Phoenix, that _it_ is in control, rather than the Jean we all know and love."

"So what happens if it's Phoenix, not Jean?" Willow asked.

"We have to wait until she wakes up to find out," said the Professor. "In the meantime, I've been trying my best to fix the barriers that were broken in her mind."

"Will she ever be how she was? If you're able to restore the blocks?" Willow asked, a note of sadness in her voice.

"I don't think she'll ever be the same, no," Xavier said in a melancholy tone. "Please tell only who you must, Willow. The last thing we need is panic here at the school."

"I understand, sir," Willow muttered. She turned to leave, feeling as if someone had just sucker punched her in the gut.

"Willow?" Xavier called after her.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"Should the time come, will you be able to fight again?" he asked. Willow knew what he meant. The last time she had overexerted herself in battle, she'd almost died from it.

"Yes," she answered with certainty.

"Good," he said with a fond little smile. "Then our hours of practice have paid off."

"Whatever needs to be done, I'll make sure to help it happen," Willow assured him.

"You've grown so much," he said. "You came to us a frightened child and, over the course of a year, have become a capable, strong young woman. I want you to know how proud I am of you." Willow was unsure what to say.

"I…Thank you, Professor," she said. "I couldn't have done any of it without you."

"Give yourself a little more credit," he said with a warm smile. "It was you who had the determination to master your powers. Tell me, does it hurt as bad anymore when your plants are killed? I know that it has been a major concern of yours over the past couple months."

"It's getting better all the time," Willow said truthfully. "The Danger Room sessions have helped me disconnect more from the things I create, so when they're destroyed, I don't feel as much physical pain."

"Good, good," he said with a smile. "I had always hoped that you would be able to overcome that side of your mutation."

"Jackie seems to be doing better, too," Willow said.

"Yes, she has made drastic improvement," he said. "I'm so pleased that she had the courage to master her skills. She is a very powerful mutant for her age, possibly a class 3."

"Wow," Willow said.

"She knew that she was starting to become a danger to others and herself and took the responsibility to learn to control herself," Xavier said. "That is one of the lessons I try my best to teach here, and both of you have learned it."

"Well, you're a good teacher," Willow said with a shrug. A strange look came over Professor Xavier's face for a split second.

"I'm sorry, Willow, but I'm going to have to cut our talk a little short," he said vaguely as he rolled out from behind his desk.

"What's wrong?" she asked. His expression was becoming more grave and fearful by the second. "Professor!"

"Where's Ororo?" he asked.

"I don't know," Willow said in earnest.

"Come with me," he said. It wasn't a request, it was an order. Willow's heart was gripped with an overwhelming sense of urgency as she heard, or rather felt, the Professor call out, _Ororo!_ with his mind. She opened the door for the two of them and took off after the Professor's speeding wheelchair at a jog.

"Professor?" Storm's voice issued from the stairwell they had just passed.

"Come on!" Willow said, beckoning to her. Storm caught up with them.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking concerned. Xavier didn't answer. Frustration and alarm coursed through Ororo like fire the more he ignored her prompting. They took the cylindrical elevator to the underground complex. Once free of its enclosed space, The Professor sped down the hallway towards the infirmary.

"Professor, _talk _to me! What is it?" Storm asked, her voice almost angry now.

"Something's happened," he muttered "As I feared."

"What? What aren't you telling me?" she demanded.

"Oh no…," Willow said, aghast. The infirmary door had been blown completely off its hinges and was laying in a broken mess against the opposite wall. They approached the gaping doorway only to find that the infirmary was in shambles. Sparks flew out of damaged monitors and debris was strewn everywhere.

"Why didn't the alarms…?" Storm began to say.

"For the same reason that none of us were aware that anything was amiss until it was too late," the Professor said. A groan redirected their attention to the wall beside the door. There lay Logan, slumped against the wall looking battered. He slowly rose to his feet, swaying a little. His clothes were tattered and he was wincing; apearently he was in worse shape than he looked. There was no sign of anyone else in the vicinity. Storm hurried to Logan's side to steady him.

"Logan, who did this?" she asked him, but Willow already knew the answer.

"Jean," he replied. "She's not herself. And I think she…" he stopped and swallowed. Willow dreaded what he might say next. "She killed Scott."

"No!" Storm said, shaking her head. "That's impossible." Xavier said nothing to the contrary, and Willow knew that it all added up: Scott's absence from the mansion and also at Alkali Lake, Susan's remark the other day, Jean's blatantly destructive alter-ego.

"Don't look so surprised," Logan barked at her.

"I warned you about her," Xavier said, his words dripping with sorrow. "I told you what she was capable of."

"What does that mean?" Storm asked indignantly.

"Ask _him_," Logan said, pointing at the Professor. Willow watched this exchange, but didn't respond. _Scott's dead_, she repeated to herself, over and over. The more she thought it, the more ridiculous it came to sound. Scott couldn't be dead because…he just couldn't. He was the one who came to her rescue on the streets of New York and brought her back to the mansion. It was Scott that sparred with her for hours, helping her develop her agility and speed.

But at the same time, as she looked around the chaos that had once been the infirmary, she knew that it was true. The fact that Scott Summers was gone paled in comparison to the notion that Jean had killed him. The sheer, unnerving thought of it made Willow feel faint.

"She's left the mansion," Xavier said. "She's blocking my thoughts." Everyone present watched Xavier struggle to reach Jean. On top of everything, Willow grappled with the idea that the Professor had to struggle at all. He was the most powerful mutant she had ever encountered. The fact that he was _struggling _against one of his own pupils was inconceivable. "She is very strong….I hope we're not too late."

"What about Cerebro?" Logan suggested. Xavier shook his head.

"She's keyed into it, just as I am. Given her current state, she could easily wrest control of it and remotely use it to amplify her own abilities beyond comprehension. Believe me, that is a scenario you do _not_ wish to behold. I'm afraid…I must do this on my own…" Willow was disturbed to the core to see beads of perspiration begin to accumulate on his forehead.

"The two of you, come with me," he said, meaning Wolverine and Storm. "Willow, I want you to gather the others, make sure that the children are safe while we're gone." Willow had heard this but was still in a state of shock. _Scott's dead. Jean killed him._ "Willow!"

"Yes, sir," she said suddenly.

"I'm counting on you," he said. She nodded a little as she followed them out of the infirmary.

* * *

"Oh my God," Jackie muttered when she heard the news. "Oh my _God!_ I mean, I had a feeling, but I'd been hoping it wasn't true…"

"It is," Willow said gravely. "The Professor's gone after her. To try and stop her."

"What do we do?" Kitty wondered, feeling lost for words.

"We sit tight," Willow said, sounding like more of a leader by the minute. "We protect the mansion."

"Should we suit up?" Bobby wondered. Willow considered this. She didn't want to cause an overall state of alarm and confusion amongst the students, which could be catalyzed by the fact that the team would be sitting around in uniform.

"No," Willow said, decidedly. "No, we're gonna play it cool. What the kids don't know won't hurt them. It might be too much for the younger ones. We'll take it in turns guarding the inside and outside, but try to act casual. There's six of us, including Rogue, so two in front, two in back, two inside."

"Sounds like a plan," Bobby said. "Who're we paired off with?"

"Iceman and Shadowcat," she said, using their code names. "Colossus and Rogue, me and Blackout. We'll rotate every four hours. At night, the ones inside can sleep for a bit. If something goes wrong, give the other groups a sign. I don't know if anything's going to actually happen around here, but I don't want to take chances."

Willow and Jackie sat nonchalantly on the grass just behind the gate that blocked the driveway from the rest of New York. It was about 6:00pm, and neither of them had said anything for the past two hours. The expression on each of their faces looked stony and weary.

The silence was broken by a sudden screech of tires. Willow and Jackie were both on their feet in an instant. Jackie's hair stood up on end as her body tingled with static.

"It might be nothing," Willow muttered as she heard a car door open and shut.

"It could be something," Jackie countered. They could hear footsteps getting closer to the gate. When finally the owner of the footfalls came into view, Jackie's heart skipped a beat. St. John Allerdyce was standing coolly in front of her, only the wrought iron fence separating them.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Willow demanded, her eyes glowing green.

"I came for a visit," he said with a shrug. "To talk to Jackie." Jackie blanched and the static electricity she'd been generating died down.

"Well, I got news for you, pal…," Willow started to say, but Jackie interrupted her.

"I got this, Will," she said under her breath.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," she said with a confident nod. Jackie approached the gate and climbed over the top of it.

"Don't trust me?" Pyro asked with a smirk as Jackie dropped back down to the ground.

"I'm not stupid, John," Jackie said sarcastically. "Speak."

"So hostile," he said as he cocked his head to the side, his eyes roving over her frame. Willow stood on the other side of the fence, her blood boiling. "How 'bout some privacy?" he said, glancing over at Willow.

"It's okay, dude," Jackie assured her.

"Let me know," Willow said curtly as she walked out of earshot.

"Enough with the banter," Jackie growled. "Whaddyou want? And where's your nanny?" she asked, referring to Mystique. An unreadable look passed over Pyro's face.

"She got cured," he said.

"What?" Jackie asked, shocked.

"Yeah, turns out the humans are using the cure as a weapon, in darts," he said. "Shooting it out of guns. She was no good to us anymore."

"So you just…_left_ her?" Jackie sputtered in disbelief. Mystique had never been one of Jackie's favorite people, but the idea of leaving behind a teammate was alien to her.

"Had to," Pyro said with a shrug.

"That's sick," Jackie spat. "Why'd you come?"

"I miss you," he said. In the past, Jackie would have been head over heels at this remark. Now, though, the sound of his voice disgusted her. "I want you to come with me." Jackie paused, shaking her head slightly. If he thought he was going to recruit her, he was sorely mistaken.

"No," she said defiantly. This was definitely not the answer Pyro had been expecting.

"Why not? You could be free, with us. You could leave all this shit behind. You could be Blackout. People would respect you, you've got just as much power as I do," he said.

"Did you just call my home and my family 'shit'?" she asked angrily, her hair standing on end again. "What the hell is the matter with you, John?"

"Call me Pyro," he insisted.

"Whatever," she growled. "You think I'm gonna leave this place, where people love me and care about me? You think I'm gonna betray the people who took me in, gave me a home? Sheltered me from a world that hates me?"

"I did," he said casually.

"Well I'm not like you," she said, glaring at him. "I know where I'm wanted."

"Don't you get it? We can get back at the people who hate us!" he said with a manic grin. "Together. You and me, all the way."

"I don't want to get back at them," she said. "Two wrongs don't make a right; they teach you that in grade school."

"Xavier's got you trained," he said. "Like a dog on a leash. He's controlling you."

"No he isn't," Jackie said.

"Magneto doesn't control people, Jackie."

"Call me Blackout," she sneered. "Magneto's a manipulative bastard. You think he'll go out of his way to protect you? You think he won't leave you stranded and alone like he did Mystique?"

"I'm different," Pyro said, but his confident expression faltered ever so slightly.

"No you're not," she said. "You're nothing special, Pyro. You're just another one of his little chess pieces. You ever play chess?" Pyro shook his head. "The king sits in the back while the other pieces sacrifice themselves for him and at the very end, right before checkmate, he runs himself into a corner."

"Magneto's untouchable!" John spat.

"You think _I'm_ brainwashed? Listen to yourself!" she cried. "_He's_ got _you_ trained." Pryo triggered the compact flamethrower attached to his wrist and held a fireball in his hand.

"Last chance," he said angrily, holding the fireball in front of him threateningly. "We can be friends or enemies. You're call." Jackie held out her thumb and index finger in the shape of a gun before firing a low voltage bolt straight through his fireball, hitting him square in the chest. Pyro flew backwards into the hood of his car and toppled onto the asphalt.

"Enemies," Jackie said. "Go home, Pyro, if you have one." He picked himself off the ground. "And for the record, I have _more_ power than you _and_ I had the balls to gain control over it!" John took one last look at Jackie, his face a mixture of anger and embarrassment, knowing that he'd lost. Without so much as a goodbye, he piled himself in his car and sped away with a loud screech.

Jackie climbed back over the fence and smiled triumphantly at her best friend. They exchanged an enthusiastic high five and a little nervous laughter.

"That'll learn him," Jackie said with a grin.

* * *

An hour and a half later, the pairs rotated positions. Jackie and Willow ended up inside, relinquishing their spot behind the gate to Rogue and Colossus. They sat in the living room just outside the kitchen in silence. The T.V. screen's surface was a dark void in front of them. Jackie reached over and turned on the lamp next to her. It wasn't quite dark out yet, but it would be soon.

"I'm scared, Will," Jackie muttered, the silence around them shattered. "This isn't like the Danger Room. I've never…you know, _fought _in a real battle before."

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Willow said.

"Yeah, but what if she comes back?"

"Jean?"

"Yeah," she said with a little nod. "What could we do to stop her?"

"I wish I had an answer," Willow said softly.

"Come on, man, you're like the substitute leader," Jackie said with half a grin.

"No pressure, though…," Willow muttered wryly. "Seriously, I have no idea what we'd do. Just try to protect the kids from getting hurt, I guess. What else could we do?"

"I dunno," Jackie sighed.

Out of no where, Willow felt as if she were hit in the back of the head with a sack of bricks. She wavered a little on the couch before tears sprung from her eyes. As suddenly as it began, it stopped. A warm feeling of security and happiness washed over her mind and was gone like a passing breeze only a moment later. She felt like a part of her soul had just disappeared into thin air.

Willow sat in utter confusion as she caught her breath. She reached up and touched her face, which was streaked with tears. She looked over at Jackie and discovered she was sobbing.

"He's gone!" Jackie moaned. "Xavier's gone!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, I've been either working or on vacation. Hope you like the next two chapters!**

**Bleeding Hearts**

**The Sequel to _Weeping Willow_**

**An X3 Fanfiction by Carrie**

**Chapter Five**

A zombie. That's what Willow felt like when Storm and Logan came back from their mission without the professor. She felt as though someone had stolen something from her. Something that left her feeling empty and dead inside.

Rain came down in torrents the day after Charles Xavier was lost, but Willow ventured outside anyway, forgetting all about shoes and a coat. Her clothes became soaked within minutes as she trekked across the sweeping lawn to the memorial that she'd grown for Jean months ago. The plum trees had dropped their pink flowers before summer had even arrived and, in their place, dark purple leaves rustled in the cold wind. Willow waded through the lavender that had become overgrown and sat down amongst her five trees. She stared up through the branches at the dark clouds above her and let the rain fall against her face.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," she whispered to no one. The thought of sweet, caring Jean Grey being responsible for the murder of her own husband and her mentor was heartbreaking. Who else would die before this ordeal was over? "If it ends at all," Willow added to her thoughts. The sorrow that was welling up inside Willow could not be expressed in tears or anger. Instead, she could feel the trees around her begin to die. Their leaves became brown and brittle, detaching from the branches before being blown to oblivion by the harsh wind. The wood beneath the bark of the trees became rotten and spongy as it began to fall apart. Each lavender plant dried up and decomposed into the earth along with the disintegrating stumps of her once beautiful trees. Soon, there was nothing left of Jean's memorial but a few dark spots in the grass.

Storm watched this from a few yards away, trying her best to hold back tears. She decided to approach Willow to see if she needed to talk. As she walked closer to her student and friend, Storm noticed that the grass she was walking on was dead and brown. She gazed behind her at the ivy covered mansion and noticed that the creeping vines were dying as well, their leaves floating away on the wind.

"Willow," Ororo called out. Willow whipped around to look at the source of the voice, her eyes disappearing into their unearthly green glow. A menacing patch of blackberry brambles snaked out of the ground, separating the two women with a wall of jagged leaves and thorns. "Willow, please talk to me."

"I just want to be alone," Willow said softly. Storm could still see two green eyes glowing at her from within the thicket.

"You're going to catch cold, sitting there like that," Storm said, trying to coax her out.

"What would it matter if I caught a cold, Storm?" Willow said bluntly. Her words sent a spike through Storm's heart. Willow slowly lowered herself into fetal position amongst the dead grass and brambles. Her hair stuck to her face in cold, wet ropes. "I just wish he was here."

"The professor's gone, Willow, there's nothing any of us can do to change that," Storm said gently.

"I know," Willow said. "And I miss him terribly, but that's not who I was talking about."

"Kurt?" Storm deduced.

"Yeah," Willow muttered. "It seems like all my life, someone's been by my side to protect me. My mom, Yolanda at the hospital, Xavier, Kurt….This is the first time in my entire life that no one's here to protect me, to tell me it's gonna be okay. It's not okay. Nothing's okay anymore."

"Willow, you're an adult now and part of the X-Men," Storm said, crouching to get a better view of Willow through the bushes. "And that means that you need to be able to step up and protect others instead of waiting for someone to come and save you. We protect each other, our loved ones and what we believe in. That's what being an X-Man is all about."

"I know," Willow said. "It's just hard when everyone that I relied on to be there to support me is gone."

"I know, sweetheart. But Kurt will be back soon," she said.

"My mom and the Professor and Scott will never be back, though," Willow said.

"You're not the only one who has to live without them," Storm said. "We're all going through the same thing and I think that being alone during times like this will only make it harder for you to cope." Willow thought about it for a second and knew that she was right. Jackie had proven that point over the course of the last few months. She stood up to face Storm, her brambles moving aside to let her through. Willow stepped through the opening she created before willing the blackberry bushes back into the ground.

"Lets get you dried off," Storm suggested as the two of them walked back to the mansion.

* * *

The funeral was at 10:00 the next morning. People from across the country were showing up at the mansion to honor the life of Charles Xavier, most of which the newer students had never met before.

Willow was awake, showered and dressed by nine. She couldn't sleep the night before and she was feeling the effects of it. She tried her best to used concealer to cover up the light purple bags under her eyes, but it wasn't doing any good. She gave herself a good look in the mirror. She was in a feminine black suit with a lacy white camisole underneath that flattered her figure. She wore her long green hair down and straightened, something that took her an hour to accomplish. Black loafers covered her feet. She glanced at her green hands and bit her lip. The pigment had crawled past her elbow, stopping about four and a half inches below her shoulders since last night. When her green skin had fist appeared, her house had exploded. She wondered if it would ever stop completely or if depressing and stressful times would keep perpetuating the spread.

"Maybe I'll look like a green Mystique someday," Willow mused wryly, hoping such a thing would never happen. The thought brought her back to recent times. She had heard the story of Mystique's unfortunate run in with a cure dart and, even though she was nothing less than a terrorist, Willow felt pity for her.

Willow let out a long sigh before she heard a knock at the door.

"Are you decent?" she heard Hank's voice call from outside. He'd come back in the night with the news that he'd resigned from his position as the Secretary of Mutant Affairs when he heard that the decision to make the cure into a weapon was made completely without his consent.

"Yeah, come in," she answered. Beast's burly blue frame entered the room. "Whaddya think?" she asked, gesturing to her outfit.

"You look lovely," he replied with a fond smile. "I was sent to bring you downstairs. We're about to head outside and Ororo said she needed to discuss the state of the lawn..."

"Ah," Willow mumbled, remembering that she'd killed off quite a bit of the lawn the night before. She and Hank descended the stairs together before going their separate ways. Willow went out the back door into the yard. She shook her head with a hollow little smirk when she caught sight of brownish patches of dead grass in roughly the same size and shape of her own feet leading away from the unsightly location of Jean's memorial. She looked up at the mansion's edifice and noticed that more than half of the ivy was dead and dying.

"You really did a number on this place," Jackie's voice said. Willow turned around and smiled weakly at her friend, who was clad, surprisingly, in a modest black dress and short pumps. Her white hair fluttered in the warm breeze and her expression was hard to read.

"Yeah. Last night was just…," Willow began to say, shaking her head. It went without saying that no one's night was a particularly good one.

"Well, ya gonna fix it, or what?" Jackie said, prompting Willow back into reality.

"Right…," she muttered. Willow turned around, her hands outstretched. Jackie watched as the dead footprints in the grass disappeared, leaving new, lush grass in its place. The huge dark patch on the lawn ahead of them quickly faded away as well. Willow directed her attention to the sad remains of the ivy. She decomposed what was already dead and let new, healthy vines crawl up into the vacant spots.

"Better?" she asked Jackie.

"Much," she answered. "Did you get your rose from Rogue?"

"Whaddya mean?" Willow asked, confused.

"Rouge bought some roses for us to put at the headstone," Jackie said, gesturing to the two monuments that had been erected earlier that morning; one for Scott and one for the Professor.

"I don't need one," Willow assured her, not taking her eyes off the headstones.

"Alright, whatever floats your boat," Jackie said with a shrug. "Lets get back with everyone else." Willow and Jackie went back inside where pretty much everyone who had ever attended Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters were socializing quietly. A few minutes later, Storm led the way out back where the mourners seated themselves in black fold-up chairs. Willow snagged a seat in between Jackie and Dr. McCoy and watched Storm preparing to give the eulogy. She heaved a sigh, composed herself, and stood in front of the mourners, her head held high.

"We live in an age of darkness," she said. "A world of fear and anger, hatred and intolerance. For most of us, this is the way things are and will always be. Some maintain it is hardwired into so-called human nature. But in every age, there are those who fight against it. It wasn't something they were asked to do. They were chosen. And he was chosen too." Willow heard Storm's strong voice falter. She hadn't even noticed that there were tears running down her cheeks until Hank handed her his handkerchief from his breast pocket. Willow smiled an awkward, embarrassed smile before dabbing her eyes with it.

"Charles Xavier was born into a world divided. A world he tried to heal. It was a mission he never saw accomplished." Willow passed the moist cloth to Jackie, who took it and held it to her eyes. Hank gave the two of them a comforting, fatherly smile. "But Xavier's teachings live on with us, his students. Wherever we may go, we must carry on his vision. The vision of a world united." As abruptly as she had started speaking, Storm lowered her head, finished. The mourners rose to their feet and filed out of the rows of chairs. As planned, Rouge and the rest of the X-Men lay long stemmed, white roses at the base of Xavier's headstone next to an oil lamp, whose flame was never to go out. When it was Willow's turn, she stared at the copper relief of Xavier's face in profile. Below were the words 'Father, Mentor, Teacher'. Without so much as a blink of an eye, Willow grew three small rosebushes that curved around the back of the cenotaph, flanking either side of it. On it blossomed brilliant, white roses. Willow was well versed in the meanings of flowers and their colors. White was always peace, innocence and purity.

* * *

The evening after the funeral, the younger members of the X-Men decided to hold a twilight vigil for the Professor. Rouge, Kitty, Bobby, Peter, Jackie and Willow headed out across the lawn to the monuments, each with a little white tea candle. The six of them gathered around Xavier's headstone and lit their candles with a cheap, gas station lighter. At first they were all silent, each getting lost in the flicker of their candles

"When I was ten, my mom died," Jackie said, snapping everyone back into reality. "Brain cancer. When I got the news, I flipped out. That was when we first figured out that I was a mutant. I started generating so much electricity with no way to let it out that I nearly ended up dead. I remember going to the hospital, seeing my dad in black-and-white in the ambulance. It messed him up really bad. Not that I was a mutant, but that I was hurt, right after my mom died." Jackie smirked a little and shook her head.

"They patched me up alright, but they couldn't explain why my hair had gone completely white. It used to be brown, you know. Dark brown." This caused huffs of subdued laughter and ironic grins from her friends. "Anyway, we got a phone call from some guy in New York at some school that my dad had never heard of saying that people with 'abilities' like mine were offered free admission. He said he wanted to meet with me and my dad, but my dad just said that he wanted me to go to public school with everyone else. A few years later, when I was in middle school, my dad got remarried to Felicia. I hated her."

"My dad didn't tell her that I was, you know, a mutant," Jackie said, staring straight down into the light of her candle. "So last year, when the Professor sent me a brochure to this place in the mail, Felicia got a hold of it and got madder than I've ever seen anyone in my life. I came home from school and she chucked it at me and demanded answers. I told her what I was and she threatened to throw me out. So I went over to the phone to call my dad at work, but she ripped the phone out of my hand and threw me to the ground." Revisiting it seemed hard on her, but she continued on anyway. "I could feel this electricity that's always been a part of me building up inside, and I knew that if I didn't get rid of it, I'd land myself in the hospital again, or worse. She came after me and grabbed me by the hair. I got her off me before grabbing the chord of the living room lamp. That's when I put Las Vegas out of power."

"You ran off the same night I did," Willow said. "I remember hearing it on the news in the taxi when I was getting to the greyhound station."

"Yeah," Jackie said with a little ironic smile. "What a night. I dunno how, but I found my Xavier brochure in the dark and got out before Felicia could figure out what was going on. I ran out the door into the dark and never went back. I got to a pay phone and called the school collect. An hour later, Storm and Jean found me outside a 7-11, the first place that still had power that I saw. They led me to the _Blackbird_ and flew me to the school where I met the Professor. He was so damn nice to me and he didn't even know me. He gave me a roof over my head, a bed, classes. He pretty much provided me with a future amongst people I can trust. I don't think I would have ever been able to have that without him."

"That's what was so cool about him," Bobby said softly. "He never judged. People you think will love you unconditionally, like your parents, people you think you can trust, you can't. Except for the Professor. I knew when I met him that he had my best interests in mind."

"I couldn't believe when I first got here how accepting he was," Willow piped up. "I mean, I'd been traveling for weeks and most people wouldn't even give me the time of day. Then I get here, and it's like, all of a sudden, I'm a normal person. People don't look at me weird here, people wanted to get to know me, and they _liked_ me! That'd _never_ happened before. And he helped me so much with my powers."

"I can do so much more than I ever thought I could," Kitty said. "Like walk underground or on air, you know? I never even imagined that that was possible."

"Xavier liked to push everyone to their limit, make them understand their potential," Bobby said. "He once told me that someday, I might be able to unlock a new area of my mutation and actually _become_ ice."

"Would you be able to get back?" Jackie asked.

"I dunno, that's why I haven't tried it," Bobby said sheepishly.

"He was like the best dad anyone could have ever dreamed of having," Rouge said, changing the subject. "Who was always proud of you and your accomplishments and was always there when you needed him."

"I was living in Russia when the Professor contacted me," Peter said. "He came all the way from the States to discuss the school with me. He taught me how to use my strength properly and gave me a home with my real peers."

"Can you imagine what it would have been like if we had never come here?" Willow mused. "Half of us would still be on the streets."

"We owe him our lives, how they are now," Bobby said.

"I'm willing to fight for what he believed in," Jackie said. "Even if it means more death."

"Me too," Willow said. One by one, the rest of them agreed.

* * *

Willow bit her lip and looked morosely at the pile of Polaroid photos strewn all over her bed. There were more in the shoebox perched on her pillow. She picked one up and chuckled a little. It was of her and Kurt doing circus tricks. Kurt was in a handstand and Willow was balanced precariously on one hand, her grip on Kurt's left foot the only thing keeping her up in the air. Storm had taken this one a couple weeks ago.

She smiled as she found another one of the two of them pulling funny faces at the camera. She grimaced at the double-chin she had as a result of leaning back and taking the picture herself.

"Oh, God…," Willow groaned with a smile as she found one of she and Kurt hanging upside down in a tree, her by her bent knees and Kurt by his tail. They were kissing. It was a cheesy picture, really. Jubilee had stolen Willow's antiquated camera while they were up there and had snapped a picture of them before they knew what was going on. Willow seemed to remember falling out of the tree shortly afterwards.

"Yep," she confirmed to herself when she discovered the photo of her with a deadpan expression, hair mussed, lying on her stomach with her chin propped on her fists. Kurt was sitting beside her cross legged with a huge, laughing grin on his face. His left arm was slung around her shoulders.

Her trip down memory lane was interrupted by the presence of someone looming in the open doorway. Willow looked up and saw the last person she thought would ever visit her.

"Hey, kid," Logan grunted.

"Hi," she said in a surprised voice. She hastily began stuffing her photos back in their shoe box.

"What's all this?" he asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Just pictures…," Willow said as she accidentally knocked a few to the floor. Logan stepped into the room and scooped up the fallen Polaroids.

"You and the Elf," he observed with a smirk as he flipped through them. He came across one that he could've laughed at, had the current situation not been so grave. Kurt had removed his black t-shirt and wrapped it around his face in a ninja mask, his posture menacing. "Hate to say it, but I'm startin' to miss havin' him around."

"Me too," Willow said with half a smile as Logan handed her the remaining pictures. After she put them back in the box, she sealed it with its old, flimsy lid.

"You two set a date yet?" Wolverine asked with a smirk. If there's one thing he liked to do, it was bust other people's chops for the hell of it.

"For what?"

"Gettin' hitched."

"Who said anything about marriage?" Willow said indignantly.

"No need to get hostile," Logan said, putting his hands up in defense.

"Sorry," she sighed. "I'm not really at my best right now."

"I don't think anyone is," Logan muttered.

"But you know, I think he's safer in Germany," Willow mused. "As much as I want him to come home, I think I'd be more worried if he were here."

"Probably a good call," he said, not sounding at all thrilled. "It ain't safe anywhere anymore, though."

"I don't know that it ever was," Willow said.

"World's a mean place," Logan said with a shrug. "Always a sucker punch waitin' for ya around the corner and all you can do is just take it and pick yourself up afterwards."

"Easier said than done, though," she mumbled.

"Yeah," Wolverine sighed. He wasn't very good at being comforting to much of anyone. "The Elf'll be back. Don't worry about him so much. After all, if you've got your head someplace else, like when we need ya, you might be spending some quality time out on the lawn with Chuck, and no one wants that."

"You're so warm and comforting," Willow said sarcastically. What he said was true, but that wasn't really something she wanted to hear the night after Xavier's funeral.

"Hey, can't blame me for tryin'," Logan said with a grin and a shrug.

"Good try," Willow remarked.

"Alright, well, I guess I just came up here to check up on ya," he said awkwardly. "Let me know when Kurt's back, I'll take his Catholic tail to a bar and get him drunk." Willow chuckled.

"I'll make sure he gets the message," she said.

"Try to get some sleep tonight," Logan said as a good-bye. He left without saying anything else.

* * *

In the morning, Jackie found her way downstairs in her pajamas. Sleep had not been good to her and there were purple bags beneath her eyes to prove it. She heard the sound of voices from one of the common rooms. Curiosity getting the better of her, she poked her head inside.

"Good morning, Jackie," Storm greeted. Jackie's superior was lounging in one of the cushy love seats, obviously right in the middle of a conversation with Hank, Bobby, Peter, Kitty, Logan and Willow.

"Hey," she grunted. "Am I interrupting?"

"No, in fact, I was about to send someone up to get you," Storm returned. "Have a seat."

"Mm I in trouble?" she said stupidly. Evidently, three hours of sleep wasn't nearly enough for her brain to function properly. Storm smiled and shook her head. Jackie plopped down on one of the couches next to Willow.

"We're trying to decide what to do," Storm told her.

"Whaddya mean?" Jackie asked, confused.

"About the school," Storm said.

"You're not thinking about closing it, are you?" Jackie said, her eyes snapping open.

"Well, Charles Xavier founded this school," Hank said with a helpless little shrug, "perhaps it should end with him." Jackie was dumbstruck as she watched a few of her peers give empty nods.

"We should start calling parents," Kitty said.

"What?" Jackie and Bobby said simultaneously.

"We can't!" Jackie cried.

"Kitty's probably right, Jacklynn," Hank said. "We should tell the students they're going home."

"If you haven't noticed, most of us don't have anywhere to go," Jackie snarled. "What am I supposed to do? What's _Willow_ supposed to do? Even if my family hates me, at least I have one." Under normal circumstances, Willow would have taken this remark to heart. However, she just nodded, expressionless.

"I can't believe this!" Bobby raged. "I can't believe we're not even going to _fight_ for this place!"

"Charley's dead, kid," Logan grunted. "The professor is dead."

"So _what_?" Bobby said.

"There's no school," Logan pointed out. "There's no choice."

"There's always a choice!" Bobby countered.

"I'll still teach," Willow piped up. "I could take on a heavier work load."

"Honey, this is your first year of teaching. The professor already told you that you could only have one class at first. Remember?" Storm said. Willow found this patronizing.

"The professor's gone. Remember?" she practically sneered.

"This place is gonna fall apart without him," Logan said.

"Whaddyou care, this was never your home!" Bobby cried. Before Logan could come up with a come back, someone cleared their throat. Everyone turned to the figure standing in the doorway, clad in a bulky trench coat and jeans.

"I'm sorry…," the young man said. "I know this is a bad time…My name's Warren Worthington," he said. Everyone stared. "The third," he added to clear up the confusion. _The cure guy's son?_ Jackie wondered. "I was told that this is a safe place for mutants."

"It was, son," Hank said morosely.

"And it still is," Storm said, standing up. "Jackie, will you show Mr. Worthington to a room?"

"Yeah," she agreed.

"And tell anyone who asks that the school stays open," said Storm decidedly. Jackie smiled broadly. "This is our home, and as long as I'm here, it will be a safe haven for mutants." Jackie saw Willow let out a sigh of relief while everyone else cheered. She wondered what would have happened to her friend had Storm really kicked everyone out.

"Come on, we'll find you a place to stay," Jackie said, beckoning to Warren. His lips twitched in half a smile before following her upstairs.

"You look tired," she said, trying to start some small talk.

"So do you," he replied with a little smile.

"It was a long night," Jackie answered, not wanting to go to in depth with a stranger.

"Yeah," Warren agreed with a little sigh.

"Where are you from?" she asked.

"Centerport, originally," he answered.

"Is that here in New York?" Jackie wondered.

"On Long Island," Warren said. "You don't sound like you've lived here long."

"I'm from Nevada," Jackie answered. "Near Las Vegas."

"I see," he said. A few kids practically ran them over on their speedy descent down the stairs.

"Watch it!" Jackie barked as she regained her balance. "Little punks."

"So everyone here is a mutant?" Warren asked, an amused look on his face.

"Yep, everyone," Jackie said.

"That'll be a nice change," he said almost sadly as Jackie lead him down the hall on the third floor.

"I think there's an empty one here somewhere," Jackie muttered. She tried a few doors, all of them locked. "Alright, I _know_ one of these is empty." Finally, one of the knobs turned. She pushed open the door to a cell of a room. She stepped inside and looked around. There was a bed, a dresser, and a bedside table. No desk, no bathroom. "Wow, this one's small."

"It's perfect," he said, following her into his little room.

"Why don't you take off your coat and stay a while?" Jackie said after a little pause.

"Oh…," Warren said, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Whatever you got under there won't offend me," she coaxed with a smirk. Warren looked a little embarrassed as he shrugged off his coat and discarded it on the little twin bed. Jackie's jaw dropped when she saw what he was hiding.

"Wow," she said, lost for words. Warren stretched his brilliant white wings, fanning them out until they brushed the walls. She wasn't impressed by the wings alone. Warren was also sporting a bare torso most men would kill to have.

"Sorry," he said, taking her reaction the wrong way. He folded them up against his back again.

"Don't be," she said faintly. "Did you…_fly_ here?"

"Yes," he answered.

"From _where_?"

"Worthington Labs," he said. "In San Francisco."

"Holy crap…," she muttered. "You must've been hauling ass." Warren suppressed a chuckle. This girl was like no one he'd ever met and he admired her already. She wasn't afraid to be herself, even in the presence of a complete stranger. Such freedom must be nice, he thought.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name," he said suddenly.

"It's Jackie," she said. "Or Jack or Jacklynn or Blackout." He smiled.

"Blackout?" he asked.

"It's a code name," she explained. "I have electricity powers."

"I think I like Jackie," he said.

"Thanks," she said, chewing nervously on the inside of her lip.

"Electricity, huh?" he asked. "Like what?"

"Like…well, for example," she said, taking the shade off the little lamp on the bedside table. She put a finger on the bulb and applied as little voltage as she could. It glowed brighter and brighter, finally exploding into little bits in a matter of seconds. "Oh, God! I'm sorry!" she cried, startled and embarrassed.

"It's okay!" he said hastily.

"Shit, it's all over the bed and the floor…," she groaned. "And just when I thought I had control over it…"

"It's alright," he assured her again, resting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with a concerned expression and their eyes met. Their gaze held for a little too long, making Jackie look away, blushing.

"What a first impression," she scoffed in a self-deprecating tone.

"It was a good one," he said with a smile.

"I'll get a new bulb for you," she mumbled as she exited the room hurriedly. "And a broom and a dustpan…"

Jackie was pissed at herself. Here was this _gorgeous_ guy and what does she do?

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she groaned as she thumped down the stairs. "He's probably just like John anyway, the prick. Probably talking about me behind my back. Probably being nice to manipulate me. Yeah, well, we'll see about that."

She shook off her anger, which was mostly directed at herself, and continued on her search for light bulbs.

"I'm back," she said, announcing her presence to Warren, whose magnificent back was turned to her as he looked out the window. He turned around and smiled genuinely. She held out the four-pack of bulbs. "Maybe you wanna do this so I don't kill it." He took the box gingerly and extracted a bulb. Even though he was amazingly strong, he screwed in the fragile bulb without crushing it. Jackie was envious of that kind of control.

"No harm done," he said kindly. Jackie began to sweep up the shards of glass on the floor as Warren shook out his sheets. Little bits fell to the floor with a tinkling noise. He took up the dustpan and held it still for Jackie while she swept the debris in. When all the glass was contained, he dumped it carefully into the wastebasket by the door.

"Good as new," Warren said.

"Yeah…," muttered Jackie, avoiding his kind, blue eyed gaze. She saw something white drop to the floor out of the corner of her eye.

"Making a mess already…," Warren sighed, picking up the large feather that he'd shed.

"You molting, or something?" Jackie said with a grin, not being able to keep her joke to herself.

"Maybe," he said with an ironic little smirk. He reached over to put it in the garbage.

"Don't throw it away!" Jackie protested, looking alarmed.

"Why not?" Warren asked, confused.

"Well, it's…it's _beautiful_," Jackie stammered, her cheeks turning pink at her choice of words. "You _can't_ throw it away." Warren looked a little flustered.

"Do you want it?" he asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Er…sure," she said, her cheeks darkening to a full on blush as he handed it to her. It was incredibly soft and unbelievably white. "Thanks…."

"Sure," he replied with an awkward smile.

"Warren, right?" she asked after a beat. He nodded. "Well, er…you look tired, so I'll leave you alone. Dinner's whenever you feel like it, the kitchen's downstairs. My room's down and across the hall, I'm usually in there, if you have questions or something. Um…yeah." She muttered awkwardly.

"Okay," he said with half a chuckle.

"Okay," she said with a sigh and a nod. "Bye." She was halfway down the hall when Warren poked his head out of his doorway.

"Jackie?" he called.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning around.

"See you later," he said. Jackie couldn't hide her smile as she waved before leaving Warren to his own devices. Maybe he _wasn't_ a manipulative bastard. Only time would tell.

* * *

**Author's note: Some of you may have noticed a little discrepancy on the breed of tree Willow grew for Jean's memorial. In the first one, they were cherry trees and now they're plum trees. I had the dark purple leaved plum trees with the pink blossoms in my head the whole time and I guess I got mixed up last time. So now it's fixed. It's not a big deal, but I thought I'd point it out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Bleeding Hearts**

**The Sequel to _Weeping Willow_**

**An X3 Fanfiction by Carrie**

**Chapter Six**

Kurt Wagner breathed a sigh of relief as he followed a throng of tourists and locals towards the enormous circus tent that was set up in a clearing amongst a forest. He'd found it. After weeks of searching the country, Kurt had found the nomadic Munich Circus, all the way up in Hamburg.

Instead of following the crowd into the tent, Kurt went around the back. Parked behind the tent was a convoy of R.V.s. His breath caught in his throat. This was it. Finally he would be able to see Margali and Amanda and even that _scheisse_ for brains acrobat, Werner.

As he neared the trailer that was unmistakably Margali's, his heart skipped a beat: there she was, sitting at the little table, sipping tea! He wanted to leave all niceties behind him and teleport inside, but the last thing he wanted to do was frighten her. He approached the door and turned off the image inducer. It felt nice to know that he had his own face back. With bated breath, Kurt tapped gently on the plastic door of the R.V. He heard the creak of footsteps drawing closer and closer to the door. He took a step back when it opened. There, standing in front of him was his adopted mother. Kurt couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"Kurt?" Margali breathed. As much as she hated to admit it, she had given up hope that he would ever return long ago. During the past year, she had come to terms that her son was most likely dead somewhere. But now, thank God, he was home. It was a miracle. She could hardly contain herself.

She staggered down the R.V. stairs and embraced him as if she would never let go.

"Oh, my little Nightcrawler, where have you been?" she sobbed. Kurt hugged her back, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair, memories of the past washing over him like a river.

"There is so much to tell," he whispered.

"Come in," she said, wiping her eyes. "Come in and tell me everything."

Over the next few hours, Kurt explained to his mother everything that had happened to him during the last year. It was surreal being back in that trailer. He could see his old bed, the covers straight and obviously unused, in the far back. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Margali had missed him terribly. She probably had all his personal effects in the same spot as when he'd left. It hadn't occurred to him until now how much he missed the circus life.

"To think that you've been through so much," Margali said, shaking her head when he finished. "But you're alive and healthy, and that's what matters most."

"Yes," he said with a happy smile.

"Tell me more about this Willow you keep mentioning," Margali said with a warm smile. "Could it be that you've finally found love?"

"I have," he confirmed. "She is one of the most wonderful things that has ever happened to me."

"What does she look like?" she asked.

"She's…beautiful," Kurt said, a longing in his voice. It had been difficult these past weeks for him to be away from her and he was anxious to return. "She's got lovely green eyes and green hair."

"Green hair!" Margali said, an amused smile spreading across her face. "How exotic. She is a mutant, then?"

"Yes. She can control the growth of plants, it's incredible," he said, beaming. "She is also very agile and strong. She vould be great in the circus. This last summer I have taught her some of my tricks. I actually have a photo of her…" Kurt reached into his back jeans pocket and produced a slightly beat-up snapshot. He handed it to Margali.

"My, you weren't joking," she said, admiring Willow's unusual features. "She's lovely." The photo was a close up of Kurt giving her an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "Will you bring her to us someday?" Margali asked. "I'm anxious to meet the woman that has brought my Kurt such happiness."

"Actually," he said, "I vas hoping that you vould come back vis me. To see vere I live and to meet my new friends."

"Ah," Margali said slowly, looking uncertain. "It's difficult leaving this place. It's so much work, you know..."

"I understand," Kurt said, feeling a little downtrodden.

"But for you, I can make an exception," she added, grinning from ear to ear. "When are you going back?"

"Soon," he replied. "I felt awful leaving her, ve have become very close. Ven is everyone packing up again?"

"A week and a half," she answered. "A little longer this time."

"Perfect," he said. "I can stay for a day or two, if that's alright, and then ve can leave."

"Of course it's alright," she laughed. "You're always welcome here." Kurt shifted his weight a little.

"I don't mean to change the subject so dramatically, but I need your opinion on something…important," he said awkwardly.

"Tell me," she prompted.

"Vell…," he said, pausing for a moment to dig something out of his inner trench coat pocket. "I've had zis for quite some time," Kurt said as he extracted a small jewelry box. He opened it up and showed his mother the ring he'd bought. "But I'm having doubts."

"_Mein_ _Gott, Schatz_, is this an _engagement_ ring?" she asked, looking thrilled.

"Yes," he said, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "I spent almost all the money I had on it."

"This is wonderful! Why on earth are you having second thoughts?" she cried, gazing at the modest, princess cut diamond held in place by a silver setting.

"Vell, it's just…difficult," he sighed. "She's been stressed lately, from teaching ze students at ze school and everything, and I don't want to pile something else on her plate."

"A sad excuse," she said, her motherly tone sneaking into her voice.

"Also, I'm not sure zat she'll say yes," he said. "She is nineteen, and I know zere is an age gap, and I'm just not entirely sure that she's ready for something like zis. It's only been a year, as well…is that a short amount of time to be thinking about marriage?"

"Love knows no age," Margali said softly. "Or time limits. It is important to make sure that she is ready for such a commitment, but I can see a love in this photograph that is lasting."

"I always hope zat's true," he sighed.

"Kurt, you need to learn to allow yourself to be truly happy," she said fondly. "I seem to remember not so long ago, a certain boy who I would find moping on a regular basis thinking that no one loved him. Now, look at this girl," she said, holding up the photo for him. "She _loves_ you, it is written all over her face. And _I _love you. So whenever you are feeling this sense of loneliness, remember that there are people who adore you and would do anything to be with you." Kurt absorbed her kind words like a sponge. She was right, of course. He wasn't used to being happy. He was used to persecution and racism, now more than ever. Still, he had every reason to be content with his life, just as Margali had said.

"You're right," he said with a shadow of a smile. She handed back the jewelry box and the photo.

"My greatest wish is for you to be happy," she said. "More than anything in the world, I pray for that."

"Thank you," he said, slipping the photo back into his pocket. He sighed as he opened the ring box. He stared at the sparkling jewel and shook his head. "I don't know vy I'm so nervous."

"Everyone becomes nervous in the face of possible rejection," she said knowingly. "But I think the only doubt in your mind should be her answering 'no'. It seems from your stories that she is willing to struggle through life with you, ready or not. That is rare, my little Nightcrawler. Don't let it slip away."

"I von't," he said in a determined voice. "Of course not." He placed the box carefully back into the bottom of his coat pocket. "I'll ask her. Soon."

* * *

The news had been on non-stop for two days straight on every T.V. screen in the mansion. Students young and old watched the coverage of mutants waiting in line for their dose of the cure. Protestors lined the sidewalk outside of Worthington Labs, the New York branch, shouting slogans of mutant freedom. 

Willow watched closely, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bobby among the hoards of people. He'd gone to try and stop Rogue from getting the cure but, so far, she couldn't see Rogue anywhere either. Willow hoped that she would change her mind and come back to the mansion without a scratch. However, she had a feeling that wasn't part of the plan today. Call it woman's intuition.

As reporters rambled on about the scene on the screen, the lab in the background exploded suddenly in a ball of flames. The whole room gasped collectively.

"What just happened?" one of the younger ones gaped.

"Pyro. That's what happened," Jackie growled. She knew his brand of destruction from a mile away.

"He wouldn't…would he?" another asked.

"Oh, yeah," she said darkly. "He would." Suddenly, the feed switched to a familiar face. Magneto.

"Today's attack on your 'cure' was only our first salvo. So long as this so-called cure exists, our war will rage. Your cities will not be safe. Your streets will not be safe. _You_ will not be safe. You want a cure? You will have it. A cure to _all_ that ails you," he said diabolically. "And, to my fellow mutants, I make you this offer, and this warning: Join us or stay out of our way. Enough mutant blood has been spilt already."

The screen went black and all was uncomfortably silent. Willow's face was grave. Just as Jackie had predicted weeks ago, a war had started. The lines were drawn and the first moves had been made. It was only a matter of time before chaos was unleashed upon the innocent people of the world.

Jackie glanced behind her just in time to see Warren Worthington III take leave of his spot in the doorway. She hadn't seen him at all in the past two days. There wasn't even evidence of him living there at all, save the inexplicable absence of the mansion's food. Due to his body's need to provide itself with the extra energy the he needed to fly great distances, his metabolism was far faster than normal people's. Long story short, the kid could eat. A lot.

She rose to her feet and followed him at a distance. Jackie was sure that he'd gone upstairs to take refuge in his new room, but the sound of pattering feet was missing, probably thanks to his extra light skeletal structure. He fascinated her in new ways all the time. When she reached the third floor, she padded quietly down the hall to his hole of a room. She tapped lightly on the door.

"Warren?" she called gently. "You okay in there?" She heard the creak of mattress springs before the door creaked open, revealing the room's occupant clad in a bulky sweater that he'd borrowed from Peter. He'd hacked holes in the back of the shirt to let his wings through at the permission of its previous owner. To say that Warren looked distressed was to say that the Atlantic Ocean was damp.

"Jackie," he said in surprise upon seeing her. There was a glimmer of a smile in his eyes, but his lips barely twitched. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine to me," she said. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," he said after a moment. He opened the door wider to let her through. She didn't wait for him to offer her a seat. Instead, she plopped down on the edge of his bed. Warren followed her example.

"This is all wearing on you, isn't it?" she asked. His silence told her 'yes'. "Are you embarrassed of him?"

"My father?" Warren asked, looking up suddenly. Jackie nodded. "No," he said. "Not embarrassed. And not angry either. I'm…scared for him. I mean, even if he's doing more harm than good, all he ever wanted to do was help. He's just…misunderstood."

"The same thing can be said about mutants sometimes," she said.

"I guess your right," he said with a sad little smile.

"Sometimes, I think people don't really think things through," Jackie said after a second. "And they get so excited about an idea that they just fling themselves into it, blindly. They don't even think twice about the consequences."

"That's exactly what it is," Warren said with a nod. "I'm sure of it. And I feel…guilty. Like I'm the cause of all of this. He mostly just wanted to help _me_. That's why he created the cure. He'll never admit to it, but that's why. I almost got it, you know. I was first on the list."

"No way," Jackie said, disbelievingly. Warren glanced her way and smiled as a means of confirmation. "But…_why_?"

"I just wanted him to be proud of me," he sighed. "All I ever wanted was for him to look at me without seeing _what_ I am, but _who_ I am. I just wanted to be treated like a son. And even though he never has given me any of that, I still love him and I'm still scared for him. Magneto's going after him, I know he is."

"We'll help him," Jackie assured her winged friend. "We're the X-Men. We do this kind of stuff all the time."

"_You_ do this all the time?" he asked her skeptically. His tone was far from scathing like John's might have been if he'd said the same thing. Jackie was definitely enjoying the pleasant change.

"Well, no, this'll be my first time in a real fight," Jackie said nervously.

"You don't see like the fighting type to me," he said with a teasing little smile.

"Oh, see, that's where you're wrong," she said with a playful smirk. "I've actually got an extremely violent streak a mile wide."

"Does that mean you blew up my light bulb on purpose?" he asked.

"You are _not_ funny," she grumbled, still slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry," he said, feeling that he'd gone too far and hurt her feelings.

"Don't be," she answered. "I may not be the fighting type, but I've grown a thick skin over the last year, and lemme tell ya, any kind of insult you can throw at me won't ever come close to what I've been through."

"What happened?" he asked curiously.

"You want my life story?" she asked, cocking a white eyebrow.

"I'll listen to as much as you want to tell me," he said.

"Alright, well, let's start off by saying that I haven't been treated very well by a certain male figure that used to be in my life," she said. "Know that guy that blew up your dad's lab?"

"Him?" Warren asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. I dunno what it was about him that got me so interested. Maybe just the fact that he showed me a little attention, which I'm not used to getting. Romantic attention, anyway. I feel so stupid…looking back on it, it was obvious that the only thing he was really interested in was my strength. He was never very nice to me, I don't know why I let him treat me that way. He joined Magneto a few months ago and I guess I can't say that he's a different person. He's always been that way, I've just been too stupid to see it," she said, her cheeks growing pink with embarrassment. "I guess that pales in comparison with your problems…"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "It doesn't."

"I used to think that someday he'd change and we'd live happily ever after," she said. "A stupid teenage daydream, I guess. Luckily, I learned something from it, and that's that people don't change unless they want to. And John will never change. He _likes_ doing evil things, and I can't be associated with someone like that."

"You deserve better anyway," Warren said.

"I dunno that I do," Jackie sighed.

"Of course you do," he said comfortingly. "You're kind and accepting. Who wouldn't want that?"

"Who'd want a girl that could fry them to a crisp?" she asked sadly.

"There's somebody for everyone," Warren said, though he didn't sound as though he believed it to be true for himself.

"I hope so," Jackie muttered, feeling her cheeks turn a warm pink again. She _hated_ blushing, but there was something about being around this guy that got her flustered. "Anyway, _you_ shouldn't have a hard time finding a girlfriend," she said, lifting a hand and flicking his left wing. "These are too cool."

"My dad doesn't think so," Warren said, sounding downtrodden.

"Look, you gotta stop obsessing over what your dad thinks all the time. Has it ever occurred to you that your dad might be wrong?" Jackie said indignantly. "Your self esteem needs work, buddy."

"So does yours," he said, a smile stretching over his lips.

"Eh, no one's perfect," she replied with a shrug. There was a pause before Jackie decided to change the subject. "So can you fly carrying stuff with these things, or what?" she asked, elbowing his wing.

"I can fly carrying some_one_," he said.

"Really?" she asked. _Goddamn, he _must _be buff_, she thought.

"Do you…," he asked slowly, "wanna try?"

"Oooh, ya know what, I'm a little afraid of heights…," she stammered, looking nervous.

"I won't drop you," he promised as he stood up. "C'mon. Flying helps take my mind off things and I could use the company."

"If I die, I haunt you first," Jackie muttered as she rose to her feet. The two of them headed out back to an open patch of lawn.

"Stay there," Warren said as he backed up.

"Wait, what're you doing?" Jackie asked as he walked further and further away.

"It's easier if I get a running start to get off the ground," he called to her. He was on the outskirts of the vast yard when he stopped. Jackie watched as he opened his enormous, feathery wings before he took off at a run. Straight toward her. With a couple of intense beats, Warren's wings lifted him off the ground. Jackie was awestruck by the sight and the sound of it. Just as she began to think that he would fly right over her, he scooped her up off the ground and into his muscular arms. She yelped and threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh, God, oh God, oh _GOD_!" she cried as she clenched her eyes shut and held on tighter. When she managed to pry her eyes open, she realized how very close she was to Warren's face. He was grinning from ear to ear. "You're crazy!" she cried, half amused and half scared out of her mind.

"Want to go higher?" he asked, looking enthusiastic.

"No!" she cried. "I'm gonna die, I know it!" But even as the words slipped past her lips, she knew that she was just as safe with him as she was standing on her own two feet on terra firma.

"You're not going to die," he said soothingly. "I won't let go. Now let's go higher!" Jackie squealed the way one does on a rollercoaster as he pumped his wings harder, sending the two of them soaring into the sky.

* * *

Logan burst through the front doors of the mansion, looking like a grizzly bear had had its way with him. He'd finally returned after a personal mission to find Jean and bring her home. 

"Storm!" he bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls of the vaulted entryway. Ororo removed herself from her post at the T.V. and met Logan in the foyer. "We got problems," Logan said.

"Did you find her?" she asked, her gaze intense. The two of them were soon joined by Hank and Willow, who had been talking in the kitchen.

"I sure did," Logan growled.

"Is she still with Magneto?"

"Yeah, they're like Siamese twins," he said sarcastically. "I don't think they're on the same page, though. She lead me right to her, 'Ro. She knew I was coming, and she wanted me to be there. But when Magneto caught me, she just…walked away."

"What did I tell you?" Storm said in an I-told-you-so tone.

"No, it's not that simple," he said with a shake of his head. Storm didn't want to hear it. She had bigger, more pressing things to deal with than Logan's personal emotions.

"Where are they, Logan?" she asked.

"On the move," he said, sounding like the hunter he was. "That sonnovabitch has raised himself his own army!"

"You're saying you saw Magneto?" Hank asked. He was ignored. Willow shrugged.

"I know where they're going, Storm," Logan said. "It's Alcatraz. We gotta get there. We're the only ones who have even a chance of stopping him."

"Alright," Storm said, her face stony and serious. "Let's get suited up." Logan was way ahead of her, heading toward the elevator. When he was out of earshot, she leaned in to Willow. "Spread the word to the others: we're heading out within the hour."

"Got it," Willow said, practically running upstairs. She stopped first, on the third floor, to collect Bobby and Peter. They jumped up and followed her down the hall to Jackie's room, but she wasn't there.

"Damn it," Willow cursed under her breath. _Oh, well,_ she thought. _She's here somewhere, it's not like she got up and flew away._

The next stop was Kitty's room, all the way up in the small turret. They found her tinkering with some sort of electronic device.

"We're going after Magneto and Jean," Willow said. "We gotta go."

"I'm there," Kitty said, getting up.

"What about Rogue?" Willow said suddenly. She hadn't seen her since she'd gone off to get the cure.

"She's back, but I don't know where she is," Bobby confessed.

"Did she…?"

"I don't know," he said in earnest.

"Okay, well, you guys get down there and get suited up. I have to find Jackie," Willow said, once again taking the role of leader. They did what she said.

Willow headed down to Jackie's room once more and pounded on the door.

"I swear to God, Jackie, if you're in there and ignoring me, I'm gonna kick this door in, and you know I can do it!" Willow bellowed.

"You talkin' to me?" she heard a voice say from behind her. Willow whipped around and saw Jackie, hair mussed, face pink, smile plastered all over her face. Beside her was Warren Worthington III, looking equally giddy. Willow eyed the two of them for a second.

"Look, I'm not gonna ask," she sighed with a shake of her head. "Logan found Magneto. He's got an army and he's headed to Alcatraz."

"What!" Jackie cried.

"Yeah. So we need to suit up and leave. Now," Willow barked.

"I'm coming too," Warren said.

"Ah, no you're not," Willow told him. "This is serious stuff and we don't need anyone getting involved and possibly hurt that doesn't have to."

"I'm already involved," he said darkly. "Magneto's after my father, therefore it's my responsibility to protect him."

"We don't have a suit for you," Willow said, looking out for Warren's best interests. She had no intention of sounding like his mom, especially when he was probably two or three years older than her.

"I don't need one," he said. "I'm going anyway." Willow sighed and ran a hand through her long hair.

"Fine, but we gotta go," she said. "Jackie, take him down there. I gotta tie up this beastly hair."

"Meet you down there," Jackie said, taking Warren by the arm and leading him downstairs. Willow hurried down to her room. It seemed that the more often she cut her hair, the faster and longer it grew. She'd cut it to shoulder length only last Christmas, and already it was down to her waist again.

Grumbling, she snatched up her hair brush and parted it down the middle. She whipped the two bunches of green hair into tight buns, which sat neatly on either side of the top of her head. If she was gonna get into a fight, she wasn't going to have her stupid hair get in the way.

That finished, she snatched a snapshot of her and Kurt and ran out of her room to the nearest elevator, taking it all the way down to the bottom. She rushed into the locker room, where Kitty and Jackie were already suited up. Willow threw open her locker and retrieved her black leather uniform, complete with bright green seams. She removed her jeans and her shirt and replaced them with a skin tight tank top and black, calf length leggings. When that was done, she began zipping herself into her uniform. She had broken it in a long time ago during Danger Room sessions, but it was still a little too form fitting for her taste. She tied her feet into a pair of steel-toed combat boots that laced up to her knees.

"Ready, slow-poke?" Jackie teased already in her combat uniform, the white seams matching her hair. Her black boots went up to her calves and mean, silver buckles were fastened over the tongue and laces. In a word, she looked badass.

"As ready as I'm gonna be," Willow sighed.

"Let's do this," Kitty said, sounding nervous. The three of them hurried out of the locker room and joined the boys in the hall.

"Oh, no," Logan said, shaking his head when he saw his young teammates looking ready to, in his opinion, rescue a cat from a tree. "Whaddyou all think you're doing?"

"We're coming with you," Bobby said decidedly. Logan gave a snort and rolled his eyes.

"We trained for this," Peter said. "We're ready."

"The best offence is a good defense, right?" Storm said, giving Logan a smirk as she came out of the locker room, her impressive silver cape flowing behind her.

"They can't come," Logan said flatly.

"This is our fight, Logan, not just yours," Storm said seriously. Logan sighed, visibly disgruntled. He looked at each young face and was sick to think of what might happen to them if something were to go horribly wrong. Which, usually, it did.

"This ain't gonna be like class," he said finally as Storm walked off to start up the _Blackbird_. "Or the Danger Room. It's gonna be a real battle, and only one'a you has actually seen a real battle." He eyed Willow, who remembered very clearly her last mission and how she'd almost died. "There's gonna be blood and tears and death. And as much as we've lost in the past few days, that's _nothing _compared to what's on the line now." Willow had always known Jackie to be the tough girl. Now, though, all the color had drained from her face. She knew what she had to do, but Willow knew that Jackie was afraid to kill again.

"We get on that plane," Logan continued, "we're not students and teachers anymore. We're not kids and grown-ups. We're soldiers."

"We're X-Men," Bobby corrected. "All of us."

"Get in, then," he said, gesturing to the _Blackbird_. Willow and Peter took the lead and the six of them boarded the idling jet. Willow and Jackie sat down in their assigned seats in the back and strapped themselves in. Kitty, being the resident whiz kid with computers and electronics, sat in front with Storm. Peter and Bobby took seats next to each other and Warren sat down awkwardly in one of the seats behind Jackie and Willow. He pressed his wings to his back as hard as he could, but they were really too big for chairs. Often times he just ended up sitting on the ends of his feathers.

A moment later, they were joined by none other than Hank McCoy. Willow had to cough to mask her laughter at the sight of Hank's old, unsightly, ill-fitting uniform. He gave her a stern look and a playful smile. The man had a sense of humor on him.

"Look," Jackie muttered, pointing out the window. Willow craned her neck from her aisle seat to see what was going on. Logan was having a conversation with Rogue. The girls saw her shake her head before flashing Logan a smile and heading out of the hangar. The two of them knew what that meant: Rogue wasn't coming.

"This isn't going well already," Jackie grumbled.

"Don't jinx us," Willow said, elbowing her in the side. Logan stomped up the stairs and into the jet.

"Marie's staying to look after the kids," he said as he took a seat up front.

"Alright, then," Storm said. "Let's go."

* * *

**Author's Note: There shall be violence in the next post. Tell me what you think and maybe I'll update a little faster...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Bleeding Hearts**

**The Sequel to _Weeping Willow_**

**An X3 Fanfiction by Carrie**

**Chapter Seven**

Anyone who had ever ridden aboard the _Blackbird_ agreed that it was an incredible bit of technology. While its stealth mechanisms were impressive in themselves, the jet's speed was another thing entirely. The cross country flight took the X-Men all of twenty minutes which, for most of them, was far too soon.

Storm flew warily toward the island on which Alcatraz was perched. Kitty was instructed to put up their cloaking device minutes before they landed. The jet was now virtually invisible to the naked eye and the tension in the air was palpable.

"Holy shit," Jackie muttered from her seat at the window. Willow leaned over and, in the failing light, she could see an entire section missing from the Golden Gate Bridge. She wondered for a moment what had happened to it.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" she asked Jackie.

"A big chunk of the bridge sitting on Alcatraz? Yeah, I see that," Jackie said, the color draining from her cheeks. She knew Magneto was powerful, but this was ridiculous.

"I'm going in for a landing," Storm warned them. As they got closer, everyone could see that the place had already been trashed. Crunched cars were strewn everywhere along with bits of debris from blows to the edifice of the prison itself. There were soldiers already there trying desperately to contain the situation with some kind of gun or other. Another army entirely was advancing on Worthington Labs. No one had to be told that this was Magneto's Brotherhood. Jackie was nervous. This really _was _going to be an all-out war, exactly as Logan had said. She began to do something she hadn't done in a long time: pray to God that everything would be alright.

Willow stared at the photo that she'd taken with her of her and Kurt. He was still out there somewhere. What would he do if he came back to an empty home, his friends wiped off the face of the earth? She pursed her green lips. That wasn't going to happen. They were the X-Men. Sure, they'd had some close calls, but everyone always came back home. Except for Scott. And the Professor.

Willow closed her eyes and let out a sigh. She reflected on why she was about to jump out of a jet into a raging battle. It was for life as she knew it. It was for her friends and the people who had taken her in and given her a home. It was for the people they'd lost in the recent past. It was so that she'd have a chance to see Kurt again. It was so that one day she could get married and have a family, and so many other things. She had every reason to give it her all and she was determined to return home, victorious. Without a word, Willow slipped the photograph into her boot so that she could have it with her when the fight began. Kurt couldn't be there for her in person, but she would draw from the thought of him the support she needed to get through this.

Storm brought the jet down neatly on the flat roof of one of the buildings. She unbuckled herself and stood up to face her fellow X-Men.

"Remember, you guys, we work as a team. Always. We are mindful of our surroundings and our fellow soldiers and we help when help is needed. We stay until the end," she said as everyone else released themselves from their seatbelts and stood up.

"Let's get this party started," Logan said grimly, popping his claws out of their tracts under his skin.

One by one, they exited the _Blackbird._ The wind picked up tremendously around them as Storm descended into the fray first, striking the ground with a shocking array of lightning bolts.

Hank followed her, flinging himself from one roof to the next, finally landing on the ground with an impressive thump.

Willow's eyes glowed bright green as ivy shot out of the ground below at a feverish pace, climbing up the concrete edifice in a thick mat. She jumped off the roof, catching herself halfway down on her ivy, only to spring off the wall moments later in a graceful back flip. Her landing was catlike: precise and, as always, feet first.

Angel swooped low, Jackie's elbows locked with his, and set her dangling feet down on the ground before flying off to find his father.

Colossus simply leapt off the roof, covering himself in his signature organic steel, and landed with an almighty _thud_.

Kitty embraced Bobby as the two of them made their entrance by jumping off the building and phasing into the ground below, only to emerge from the earth a second later. Bobby looked sick.

Finally, Logan positioned himself in a corner and slid down the side of the building, his adamantium claws ripping through solid concrete to slow his fall.

The X-Men spread out and formed a line, ready to fight for all they were worth against an army of mutants, whose numbers exceeded their own by about fifty. The odds were terrible, the situation was worse, but the eight of them was all the world had standing between peace and destruction.

"Everyone stay side by side," Wolverine instructed. "Whatever comes, we hold the line. We defend this place and the people in it at all costs." Adrenaline pumped into Jackie's veins as her hair stood on end. She could feel herself generating an unimaginable amount of electricity. All her inhibitions and doubts had disappeared. It was time to prove that she was a valuable asset to this team. Brave and ready to do what had to be done.

At Magneto's signal, the opposing force charged with chilling war cries. Before anyone gave her an order, Jackie raised her hands and released the energy that had been building inside her at the front line. Bolts of undiluted electricity shot from her fingers and tore at them with ungodly speed, rouge bolts striking the ground and leaving craters. The frontline fell almost simultaneously, but the next wave came trampling over the top of their fallen brethren in a fraction of a second.

* * *

"That one is powerful," Magneto said to Pyro as they watched the battle from afar. He was intrigued by Jackie's strength to say the least.

"She'll never join us," Pyro told him, remembering the slightly embarrassing episode outside the mansion. Magneto gave an indifferent little shrug as if to say 'oh well, her loss'.

* * *

Willow's eyes glowed in anticipation before the onslaught of soldiers reached them. In close contact situations such as the one that was fast approaching, she could only rely on her physical skills. Most plants weren't deadly unless ingested, which was certainly not an option here. If she was going to attempt using her plants at all, she would have to get creative.

In the blink of an eye, Magneto's mutants were on top of them. Wolverine, Colossus and Beast knocked down all that came near like rag dolls and most of them didn't get up. Willow wasn't nearly as strong as them, but she could pack a punch nonetheless. She dodged fists and kicks from all sides with the grace of a ballerina and smashed her gloved fists into the faces of her foes like a black belt. It usually took her more than one hit to bring her antagonists to the ground, but she was so quick on her feet that punches and kicks flew one right after another with the fiercest of grace.

Kitty was overconfident. They all knew that. But in a way, she had a right to be. If anyone tried to hurt her, all she had to do was become intangible just long enough for them to pass through her. After they had, she had a variety of ways at her disposal to knock them over from behind. She really had nothing to worry about.

Jackie was an impressive sight to behold. It was hard to believe that only months ago, she was terrified of her growing powers. Now, she used them expertly, shocking her foes into submission either by firing bolts at them or simply placing a hand on their chest, sending them unconscious to the ground. Once she got the initial bunch of mutants away from her close vicinity, she was able to fire more long distance shots, which was easier for her. For some reason, she was much better at controlling incredible amounts of electricity than she was at doing delicate tasks. Like turning on a light bulb, for instance. Large scale assaults, she quickly discovered, were more in her comfort zone and she wasn't afraid to let them have it anymore.

"We've cut their numbers by a third!" Hank announced enthusiastically.

"I thought you were a pacifist," Logan smirked as the next wave of mutants charged at them.

"Well, as Churchill said, 'there must come a time where all men must…'" Before he could finish, Magneto's second round of soldiers were upon them. He clothes-lined a charging mutant and delivered a bone shattering uppercut to another. "Oh, you get the point!" he growled to Logan.

There were too many for Willow to handle on her own. The first time around, most of their opponents went after those of her teammates that blatantly posed a threat: Wolverine, Colossus, Blackout, Beast. But some of them had caught on that she and Bobby were forces to be reckoned with as well. Now, she was overwhelmed and in need of some assistance.

"Iceman!" she shouted in Bobby's direction.

"Yeah," he answered, trying to make his way toward her through the battle.

"Little help would be nice!" she said. Soon, they were back to back, Bobby freezing his adversaries in their tracks, Willow dodging their attacks only to answer with some of her own. Unfortunately, their impending teamwork attracted twice the foes.

"Got anything in mind?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she answered, her eyes beginning to glow. Ten thick, thorny vines shot out of the ground so quickly that all most of them saw were green blurs. While she fought off those within reach, she willed the barbed vines around their ankles and, in a flash, they were hoisted off their feet. Each of them dangled above the battle field, held by the writhing, spine-covered plants, no less than thirty feet in the air. It all happened in a matter of seconds and Bobby wasn't sure where he came in. She seemed to be doing alright on her own.

"Freeze them!" Willow ordered.

"Wait…won't it hurt you?" he protested, recalling Danger Room sessions in which Willow had to quit early due to the injuries she sustained when her plants died.

"It doesn't matter," she barked. "Just do it!" Now with a moment of elbowroom, Iceman coated the vines in a thick layer of ice. It traveled all the way to the tips of the creepers. The mutants that Willow had captured were struggling to get free of their bonds with all their might, so she tightened her grip on them, shattering a little of the ice off the ends.

"You missed a spot," she smirked at her teammate. He grinned a little as he re-froze the vines as well as the mutants, just enough to send them into a sort of lethargic hibernation. Bobby held his fist up in front of him and Willow responded by giving it a pound with her own.

"Didn't feel a thing," she said proudly, just before she was sucker-punched in the jaw by a vicious looking woman. Willow crumpled to the ground, dazed. The woman teleported away before Bobby could deliver any kind of vengeance.

"You okay, Will?" he asked her, dropping to one knee and taking her by the shoulders.

"Help me up, man," she groaned as the radiance in her eyes died down and disappeared. The world around her spun and the whole left side of her face throbbed painfully as Bobby pulled her up to her feet. "Didn't even see her comin'…"

"You're bleeding," he said. Willow knew that; she could taste it in her mouth. She could also feel that her lower lip had been split open. She spit out the blood that had accumulated in her mouth and shook her head.

"I think I'm okay," she said, shaking off Bobby's supportive grip.

"You sure?"

"Positive," Willow answered, her senses finally beginning to clear. She could still feel her pulse throbbing where the mutant had cuffed her, but she would have to ignore it. This battle wasn't over, not by a long shot.

* * *

The X-Men were doing far too well for Magneto's taste. He knew they'd come to try, yet again, to save the day, but he had not expected them to be this resilient against his fierce army.

"Mr. Marko," Magneto said as he watched the last of his mutant pawns surge toward the X-Men. "You have the coordinates from Callisto. The boy we seek is in the main cell house, up there. Get inside. Find the boy. And kill him."

"With pleasure," the Juggernaut said with a grin. He secured his indestructible helmet on his head before taking off at a run, his footfalls sending tremors through the earth.

The X-Men saw what was coming and prepared to fight this beast of a man the best they could. Colossus positioned himself in front of the charging Juggernaut, ready to give him a punch that would render most people completely senseless. However, once Colossus was within Juggernaut's reach, he body-slammed Peter into a nearby crumbling wall, his organic steel body nearly colliding with Willow. She threw herself into a crouch just in time to avoid him. With a massive _BOOM_, Juggernaut entered Alcatraz – through a concrete wall.

"He's going for the boy!" Beast roared.

"Not if I get there first!" Kitty called behind her as she phased through the wall after the Juggernaut.

"Shit!" Willow cursed as she and Bobby helped Peter heave his hulking body up off the ground.

"She'll be alright," Peter assured her, still feeling dazed. "She is, after all, untouchable."

* * *

Jackie was getting tired. Fast. She had never exerted this much energy in a single fight. For once in her life, she started to feel as if she were running out of juice. What could she possibly do to defend herself if she was too exhausted to use her power? She had been working out regularly and was reasonably strong for a girl her age, but she had no extra speed, endurance or agility like Willow and Beast. And what good would it be if she passed out on the battlefield? She decided that she would try her best to use just enough electricity to render her opponents immobile instead of knocking them out or (to her disdain) killing them. She would just have to hope that they didn't feel like getting back up.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Storm in one-on-one combat with a female mutant who had incredible speed. Jackie assured herself that Storm could handle herself. In the split second that she took to observe Storm's fight, three of Magneto's mutants ganged up on her. She barely had time to gasp before her legs were kicked out from under her. She hit the ground hard just before the wind was knocked out of her by a sharp kick to the gut. An enormously fat mutant grabbed her by the front of her uniform, his massive grip ripping the material. He lifted her off the ground and brought her face close to his.

"You better stop shockin' everyone, traitor bitch," he hissed before spitting in her face. He threw her as hard as he could against a pile of rubble. She collided and rolled to the ground, miserably painful. She wiped the saliva out of her eyes and slowly picked herself up off the ground just in time to see that her enemies weren't done with her. Jackie tried to muster up enough electricity to take all three of them down, but only sparks flew from her fingers.

"Oh no…," she whispered frantically, trying again and again.

"Looks like you're outta luck," growled a woman with fierce, feline qualities as they advanced on her. They were going to kill her, Jackie knew. She looked around for her teammates, but her short frame was shrouded by her three looming adversaries. She doubted if anyone could even see her. The man that had thrown her managed to catch her by the throat and lift her off the ground. Jackie kicked him with all her might, but it didn't seem to affect him at all. She tried desperately to call for help, but his grip around her neck was too tight.

"Snap her neck, Blob," a man with white, slicked back hair said with a smirk. Blob tightened his grip and grinned. Jackie couldn't breathe anymore and she was getting light headed. _Please, someone help me!_ She begged silently as tears rolled down her cheeks. Without warning, a giant blue blur rammed into Blob's head from behind, surprising him so much that he dropped Jackie. She gasped like a fish out of water, clutching her bruised neck. She looked up and saw none other than Hank McCoy, fending off her antagonists like Donkey Kong on speed. He threw himself, feet first at her feline foe, sending her to the ground with a thump. The white haired man took off with mind boggling rapidity, only slowing down enough to attack Beast. Hank swung his arms, trying to catch his attacker, but he was much too fast.

"Too slow," he sneered as he ran off to join the fray elsewhere. The speed demon gone, Hank only had one more mutant to deal with: The Blob.

"Good luck," he said with a grin. Instead of going for the main bulk of his body, Hank went for the face. He swung himself around a light post and let go. The look on Blob's face told Jackie that this was not what he had expected. Hank landed with his feet on Blob's shoulders, his prehensile toes ensuring that he would stay there. With an impressive roar, he began pummeling the Blob's face with his huge fists. Blob took a few heavy steps backward, trying to pry Beast off his upper body. Although Blob was stronger than Beast, he was a hell of a lot slower. Hank simply dodged all his attempts to free himself. Jackie instinctively threw her arms over her head in defense as Blob tipped backwards and fell, beaten senseless. The ground buckled under his massive frame and tremors radiated from his fallen mass. Hank jumped off his adversary in a graceful flip. He grinned through his panting.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"I think I'm spent," she said, looking battered and distressed. "I feel so drained, I can't use my electricity anymore."

"You've overexerted yourself," he diagnosed.

"Yeah," she said as he helped her to her feet.

"We've bested most of them," McCoy reported. "Now all that's left to deal with is…"

"_Incoming!_" they heard Logan shout. Beast and Blackout looked skyward just in time to see a car being hurled straight at them. Hank scooped up his weakened teammate and rolled free of the car's path.

"This can't be good," Jackie muttered as she watched the rest of the X-Men take cover. The car landed with a loud crash just before more cars were hurled into the air. _Magneto_, Jackie thought to herself, craning her neck to try and catch a glimpse of their nemesis.

"Stay back," Hank warned, herding her back behind the pile of debris that they were hiding against with a massive, furry arm. Suddenly, the night was illuminated by an intense orange glow. When the next car landed, they observed that it was nothing but a flaming skeleton.

"You guys alright?" called Logan from his hiding place a few yards away.

"Jackie's hurt, but she'll be fine," Hank shouted over the din.

"I'm done, Logan," Jackie told him. "I'm too tired to use my electricity. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you've done good, kid," he said.

"What're we gonna do?" Jackie heard Bobby ask right before another flaming car crashed to the ground.

"John and Magneto are working together," Storm said, "but we're better." Logan held up a few discarded cure darts.

"Lets bring these sonsofbitches down," he growled.

"Best defense is a good offence, right?" Storm said with a little smirk.

"Hey, popsicle," he barked at Bobby. "Think you can take your old friend down?" Iceman looked a little worried. He was all too aware that Pyro was stronger than him. Failed Danger Room sessions had proven that. But there was no other option: he accepted the challenge.

"Careful, Bobby," Willow said as Iceman got up and headed back out onto the field to confront his old roommate. Through the smoke and flames, Jackie could see that her friend was bleeding from a severe split lip and she hoped that she'd be alright.

"Furball," Wolverine called to Beast, "How's that suit treatin' ya?"

"It's been better, but I think I can manage a few more miles on it," Hank said, volunteering to help in any way he could.

"Storm, I know it's hard in this heat, but we need some cover," Wolverine ordered. Without so much as a confirming nod, Storm's eyes turned white.

There was a dramatic change of temperature in the air as Bobby froze one of the ignited vehicles that were soaring toward them. It crashed to the ground, parts of the frozen, brittle frame breaking into pieces. While Bobby distracted Pyro, Storm created a thick blanket of fog that rolled lazily over the entire island, impairing most everyone's view of the battle.

"Tinman," Logan barked at Colossus, "I'm gonna need that throwing arm of yours." Peter nodded with a grunt. "Here," Logan said to Beast, tossing the darts over to him. "Get behind Magneto. I'm gonna distract him. You're only gonna have a few seconds to get him."

"Consider it done," Hank answered, carefully picking up the darts.

"Anything I can do?" Willow asked.

"Watch our backs," Logan said. "This could get ugly." He peered around the pile of debris that he was using for cover. Iceman and Pyro were well into their battle, and it wasn't looking good for Bobby. "Alright, let's get moving before anyone else gets hurt."

Wolverine and Colossus moved free of their makeshift trench, thick fog swirling around them. Beast slinked off quickly and quietly into the mist, leaving Jackie alone. She craned her neck to see what was going on. Willow was doing the same from behind the adjacent pile of rubble. The night was still ablaze with Pyro's intense fire as he and Bobby clashed. The latter was clearly wearing down as John bore more flames down on him. Iceman fell to his knees beneath Pyro's inferno, looking as if he only had moments ahead of him.

"Oh no…," Jackie whispered nervously as Bobby took a bigger beating than she'd ever seen him endure in the Danger Room. Just when she thought that all was lost, Bobby stood up, his body composed entirely of ice, and gave Pyro a heavy crack across the jaw. John fell backwards, unconscious.

As soon as Pyro was down, Colossus grabbed Wolverine by the belt and hurled him in Magneto's direction. His momentary flight was cut short as Magneto sensed him and pummeled him to the ground. Willow winced, knowing that a fall like that had to hurt, even with healing powers.

"You never learn, do you?" Magneto sneered as he put tremendous pressure on Logan's adamantium bones.

"Actually," Logan grunted. "I do." Jackie and Willow, now joined by Bobby, watched as Beast leapt out of the mist from behind, shoving four cure darts into Magneto's chest. A pang of regret shot through Willow's heart as she watched him fall to his knees, convulsing. He was powerless. Helpless. Human.

"No one should have to go through that involuntarily," she muttered.

"He would never have stopped," Bobby said, his icy form thawing out into pink flesh.

"Yeah," Willow said, knowing that he was right.

"Oh my God, what are they doing?" Jackie demanded as the three of them rose to their feet. The back-up troops had finally arrived on the island and began unloading their cartridges of darts straight toward Magneto, Logan, Beast and the Phoenix without so much as a second thought.

For one, gut-wrenching second, Willow feared that Logan and Hank might be hit. However, the darts didn't even make it halfway to their targets. Instead, they hung in midair by the hundreds. The Phoenix, who had been casually observing the battle from the bridge, was finally joining the fight. Her face contorted with anger as she tore apart the molecular structure of the darts that she was holding with her telekinesis. She turned around slowly and, as she did, the soldiers disintegrated as well, their remains blowing away in the wind.

"_Jean!_" Logan shouted, trying to get her attention away from her antagonists, but the Phoenix could not be distracted. Anger pulsed through her veins. How _dare_ they even _attempt_ to take her power away from her? How dare _anyone_ try and tell her what to do with _her own power_? Charles, Magneto, Logan and these pathetic humans all thought they knew what was best for her, and she was tired of it. She was the _Phoenix_ and she would make them realize what they were trying to quell.

She spread her arms and rose menacingly into the air. Her brown eyes had disappeared and in their place were a pair of shining black voids. Her face was ugly and dark, not even a shadow of the Jean Grey they had all known and loved remained. She propelled herself with the most horrifying grace from her perch on the edge of the bridge to the main island. Her entire body exuded an unbelievable amount of fiery energy that spread from its origin to the rest of the island.

Willow stared at her former friend and teacher, her mouth hanging ajar. _This_ is what the Professor was trying to keep at bay when he set up the mental blocks in young Jean Grey's mind. At one point, Willow didn't agree with his judgment. But that was before she saw what the Phoenix was capable of. This was beyond terrifying. This was undiluted, awestruck fear, and not one person on the tiny island was immune.

The Phoenix's fiery frame burned brighter as the sound of crashing waves grew louder. The water did not descend back into the bay once it had buffeted the rocks that surrounded Alcatraz. Instead, thousands of gallons of water rose into the air, high above their heads, the laws of gravity powerless to stop it. At the same time, she began to pull the island apart. Any scrap of loose debris shot skyward as if the world were being turned upside down. The pile of concrete and rubble that Jackie, Willow and Bobby were hiding behind came apart and joined the rest of the wreckage in the air.

"_EVERYONE OFF THE ISLAND!_" Wolverine bellowed to everyone that could hear him. "_NOW!_"

Magneto, now just ordinary Erik Lensherr, lifted his torso just enough to see what was becoming of his mutant prodigy. The horrifying sight of her tearing apart the world at the seams made him realize his mistake. Charles was right, as he always had been. He should never have brought her here.

"What have I done?" he breathed to himself as he hauled his trembling body up off the ground, scrambling onto the bridge along with everyone else, mutant and human alike.

"Bobby, get Pyro," Willow barked at him, the leader within her surfacing. "Jackie, stay close to Bobby."

"Where do you think you're going?" Jackie demanded.

"I gotta find Kitty," she answered as she took off at a run towards the prison. Jackie reluctantly did as her friend instructed, hoping to God that they'd see each other again.

"Kitty!" Willow shouted above the din, her lungs filling with dust and hot ash. She coughed haggardly. "Kitty!"

"Willow?" she heard a familiar voice call. Willow looked over and saw the youngest member of the team, leading a little boy of about ten by the arm. She heaved a sigh of relief, not only because Kitty was unscathed, but because she had single-handedly saved the boy from the Juggernaut.

"We gotta get out of here, _now_!" Willow shouted. The three of them broke into an all out run, Willow bringing up the rear, towards the only exit that was available to them: the broken section of the Golden Gate Bridge. As they fled from the prison, Phoenix destroyed the last of Magneto's army, simply casting their molecules to the wind that she herself was creating. Willow hoped and prayed that they weren't next. They eventually caught up with Bobby and Jackie as they scrambled over fallen cars and the debris that the Phoenix had not sucked into her own gravitational pull.

Warren Worthington III swooped down on the chaos, his father safe in his San Francisco high rise. His hawk-like eyes observed what was going on in shocking detail: he saw people panicked, dying, and _disintegrating,_ crawling like insects onto the bridge. The prison was barely even a building anymore, its remains piling up under the woman who was, without a doubt, the source of all the madness.

He was terrified of the power radiating through the air, but not so much as he was fearful of what had become of Jackie, the only true friend he had. He scanned the crowds for her white hair, but couldn't see her anywhere. His heart raced as he folded back his wings, sending him into a dive. He flared his wings and skimmed over the crowd.

"Jackie!" he shouted, trying to be heard over the cries of the people below him.

"Warren!" he heard someone shout behind him. He dropped to the ground and pushed through the throng that was flowing past him like a rip tide.

"Jackie, where are you!" he called, people jostling his enormous wings, accidentally ripping out feathers as they went. He pressed them tighter to his body as he continued through the panicked crowd.

All of a sudden, there she was in front of him, surging along with the crowd. Warren breathed a sigh of relief as he gathered her up into an embrace.

"Did you find your dad?" Jackie asked.

"Yes, he's safe," Warren answered.

"Good. That's more than I can say for us. We gotta keep moving," she told him as they broke apart.

"Whatever happens, I'm just glad I found you," he said with a smile.

"Me too. C'mon," she said, taking him by the arm and joining the herd.

For a group of people on the verge of total annihilation, the crowd moved along pretty easily. That is, until they ran out of bridge.

"What's the hold up!" Jackie roared at the people ahead of her.

"There's no where else to go," said a familiar voice beside her. Jackie looked to her right and saw the source of the voice: a girl with tousled sandy blonde hair that was coming out of a pair of buns atop her head. She had brown eyes, pink lips – and an X-Men uniform.

"_Willow_?" Jackie cried, aghast.

"Yeah?" Willow asked, looking at her friend as if she were crazy.

"What _happened_?" Jackie said.

"Whaddyou mean?" Willow wondered.

"Look at this!" Jackie cried, pulling a piece of Willow's hair in front of her face so she could see it. Willow's blood ran cold. She ripped off one of her gloves and discovered a set of flesh-colored fingers, no sign of green anywhere. Had she been cured without noticing? She checked her body for a dart, but found nothing.

"Calm down," Kitty said in Willow's ear. "This is Jimmy, he cancels out people's mutations if they get near him."

"I'm sorry," the little boy that was squished in between Kitty and Willow said.

"So I'm not…this isn't permanent?" Willow stammered.

"No," Kitty assured her.

"Okay, good," Willow sighed. "'Cause if we somehow get out of this alive, I want to be able to grow plants again."

"I just wanna say," Jackie piped up, the shock of seeing her friend in such an unnatural state wearing off, "if we don't get through this, you guys are the best friends I've ever had."

"Don't start with good-byes," Bobby snapped. "We're gonna make it. Logan'll stop her."

"I hope he can," Willow said. "Because nothing else will."

Waves of energy swept over the entire island as Logan drew nearer to Jean, his skin flaking off and exposing the muscle and bone underneath. Even with his healing factor working overtime, he felt inches from death. Every step he took, she challenged him with another destructive blast of her immense psyche. His clothes were nothing but rags now, but he didn't care. The woman he loved was mere feet away now. He had to save her and everyone else.

"You would die for them?" Phoenix growled, her dark, monstrous eyes staring straight through him into his very soul. His stubborn, unwillingness to submit to her power enraged her.

"No," he answered, shaking his head. "Not for them. For _you_!" The blackness that had consumed her eyes disappeared and, in its place, a fire burned within them. Just like that, the unchecked rage that she had been exhibiting floated away.

"Save me, Logan," she whispered, finally letting him near. Logan beheld her impossible beauty as he put an arm around her waist. With his free hand, he popped his claws and thrust them into her abdomen in one morbidly fluid motion. Jean's body seized against him, her hands clutching at him for support as her body failed. All at once, she relaxed, letting herself be held up by Logan's arms.

"That's better," she sighed as the life slipped away from her body. Logan felt her go limp in his hands and wept for his loss. The water that had been flowing up from the bay stopped its writhing and fell like rain. The rubble around him settled back down to earth.

Back on the bridge, everyone felt it the moment Jean's life force was extinguished. It was over. The only thing left to do for the X-Men was to go collect Wolverine, if he was still in one piece. They shuffled through the crowd, making their way back to Alcatraz. Once they were free of the throng, they looked upon the hellish destruction before them and were speechless.

Storm was the first to spot Logan, up on a pile of debris, cradling the body of Jean Grey. She felt broken all over again, just as she had felt when she learned that Scott was gone and when she laid eyes upon the Professor's vacant wheelchair. As much as Ororo loved Jean, it was easier for her to see her lifeless than to see her as an unstoppable monster. After all, she was well into coping with the death of her best friend when they found her washed up on the shores of Alkali Lake. Even so, revisiting Jean's death on Alcatraz was no less painful.

Ororo looked for the rooftop on which she'd parked the _Blackbird_, but the whole building was nothing but a shell. Their jet had been taken apart, molecule by molecule, just as everything else had been. With the heat of John's flames and the strong magnetic field from Magneto gone, she could use her powers to their full extent. Conjuring up a hefty breeze, she let it carry her to the top of the heap of rubble where Logan knelt, weeping silently.

"Logan," she said softly. He looked up at her, his eyes helpless. "We have to do something for the survivors on the bridge."

"Give me a minute," he said. She nodded, floating gently down to earth. The minute Storm began to wonder how they were all going to get off this god-forsaken island now that it was all over, the sound of helicopter blades met her ears. She let out a relieved sigh as the searchlights of no less than twenty five Black Hawk helicopters snapped on. Help was on the way.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

**Bleeding Hearts**

**The Sequel to _Weeping Willow_**

**An X3 Fanfiction by Carrie**

**Chapter Eight**

British Airways flight 961 from Munich touched down on the runway of the JFK Airport in New York at around noon. Once the airplane rolled to a complete stop, the passengers stood up in the isles, retrieved their carry-on belongings and shuffled out of the cramped plane. The ride had been long, a whopping 13 hours, transfers included. Kurt was just glad to be back on the ground.

He led Margali out of the airport and walked casually into an alleyway, hoping that this was a good enough place to make their exit.

"What are we doing?" she inquired.

"Going home," he said as he put his arms around her and teleported with a _bamf!_ In less than ten minutes, they were out of Queens, headed for the Westchester suburbs. Kurt had to stop and let Margali rest. She had only teleported with him once or twice before, so she never had a chance to overcome the initial nausea that came with being a passenger.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Fine," she breathed. "I'm just tired from the plane ride."

"Don't vorry," he said with a smile. "Ve're almost zere." When Margali was ready, they continued on their journey.

At last, Kurt stopped and let his adopted mother free of his embrace. She opened her eyes and was speechless at the sight of an enormous, beautiful house.

"_Schatz_, you live _here_?" she asked, awestruck.

"I do," he said, beaming from ear to ear. During the last year, he finally discovered what it was like to have a real, stationary home, and there was nothing like returning to it.

Margali followed her son as he approached the vast oak doors. Instead of knocking, he grabbed her hand and they teleported inside. She was speechless at the flawless beauty of the interior of the mansion.

"I'm back, everybody!" he called into the house. At first, Margali didn't think that anyone had heard him but, seconds later, the sounds of footsteps hammering down the stairs could be heard from above.

"Kurt!" Storm exclaimed, flashing a bright smile. She gathered him up in a hug. "How was the trip?"

"Successful," he said, gesturing to Margali.

"I hate to barge into your lives…," the gypsy stammered, feeling like a fish out of water.

"Nonsense!" Ororo said with a wave of her hand. "Stay as long as you like. We're happy to have you."

"Storm, this is my mother, Magali," Kurt said. "Mother, this is Storm."

"A pleasure," Ororo said with a kind smile. Then she turned to Kurt. "Willow's in the garden," she said. "She's been anxious to see you ever since you left." His heart flew up into his throat.

"Thank you," he said.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Storm asked the new guest. "Or a bed to sleep in?"

"I could use some rest, yes," she said.

"Alright, let's go up and find you a room," Ororo said.

"She can stay in my room," Kurt volunteered. "Can you show her up there?"

"Of course," Storm said.

"I'll be right back," Kurt promised Margali as he excused himself from the conversation.

* * *

Willow sat with her legs folded neatly under her in front of Xavier's monument. They had added a new headstone to their grim collection: Jean's. Staring at the three of them and knowing that they would never come back filled her with a kind of sadness that would always tear at her heart. However, despite her despair, Willow felt a kind of relief. She had fought the good fight and had come out on top. She had done her part in continuing Xavier's dream. Willow recalled his last words that he said to her before he left to find Jean: "_I'm counting on you."_ No matter what happened, she vowed to never forget those words as long as she lived.

"I won't let you down," she promised him aloud.

"Willow," a voice called, jarring her from her thoughts. Her heart skipped a beat as she wheeled around. Looming over her, a smile plastered all over his face, was Kurt Wagner, back from Germany in one piece.

"Kurt!" she cried as she sprung out of her kneeling position, practically tackling him. She threw her arms around him as his balance wavered.

"Woah!" he laughed as he returned the embrace. "You trying to kill me?"

"I'm so glad you're back," she said.

"I am too," he replied, leaning down and kissing her on the lips. After a moment, she recoiled with a painful hiss.

"Careful, careful, careful…," she warned him with a wince. He examined her lower lip more closely and discovered a pair of neat, black stitches. A purple bruise blossomed on the left half of her chin as well.

"_Mein_ _Gott, Leibchen_, vat has happened?" he cried. Before she could answer him, he caught sight of the gravestones behind her. He read the names and felt his blood run cold. "_Was ist dieses? _Headstones?"

"Yeah," Willow muttered solemnly.

"I am gone for three veeks and…_Leibchen_, you must tell me vat happened!" he cried, clutching her shoulders. He was afraid to hear her explanation. How could the three of them possibly be gone forever, especially the Professor? From the moment Kurt had met Charles Xavier, he had put the man on a pedestal. Nothing could harm him and he would always triumph over his oppressors. But it seemed that he was mistaken.

"A war happened," she said. "Us verses Magneto."

"Then…Magneto did this?" he asked, pointing at the graves.

"No," Willow said, shaking her head. "Sit down, handsome. I got lots to tell you." Kurt plopped awkwardly onto the grass, feeling dizzy. He couldn't take his eyes off the brass relief of the Professor's face. He touched it just to make sure that he wasn't having some kind of horrible nightmare. Slowly, Willow began to tell him what happened. When she was finished, he was heartbroken.

"_Unglaublich_…," he muttered in a hollow voice. "I can't believe it…You've been through so much and I….I haven't even been here for you. And the Professor…Doctor Grey…Mr. Summers…I…I don't even know vat to say. I should have been here."

"You have nothing to do with any of this, Kurt," Willow said comfortingly. "Had you have been here, the results would be no different. The Professor and Scott and Jean would still be dead and I'd still have stitches."

"I vould have protected you from being attacked, at least," he sighed.

"Well, for your information, Mr. Hero, I can take care of myself," she said with a smile. "Looks like you're out of a job."

"I vas alvays kidding, _Leibchen_. You don't need rescuing," he said cupping her face in his hands. "_Ich_ _habe Sie vermißt_." She leaned into him and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"I've missed you, too," she said. "Speaking of which, did you find anything? In Germany?"

"Yes, I found the circus," he said, grateful for the change of subject. "And I brought back a souvenir."

* * *

Margali lay quietly on Kurt's bed. She didn't bother getting under the covers as she was still in her clothes. She looked around the room at all the possessions he had gained over the last year. Although their circus was popular, it didn't pay very well once everyone's wages were distributed, not to mention the cost of maintenance. She could never provide him with drawers and drawers of new clothes, a Television set, oak furniture and posters of his favorite movie stars. There was no doubt in her mind that he was better off in this place.

Just as she began drifting off to sleep, she heard a light tap on the door. She rose from the bed and opened the door a crack. Kurt's familiar face was peering at her from outside. She greeted him with a smile and opened the door wider.

"I have someone for you to meet," Kurt said as he led in a girl that could only be Willow. Margali recognized her striking features from the photo Kurt had shown her.

"Hello," Willow said bashfully, jerking her head a little so that her bangs flopped in front of an ugly, stitched up gash on her lip.

"I have been anxious to meet you, my dear," Margali said with a warm smile. "You have made my son a happy young man, and I am nothing but grateful to you."

"Well, he's easy to get along with," Willow said with a shrug.

"Kurt said you met in a church?" Margali asked Willow.

"Yeah, actually," Willow said. "It was sort of a crazy night for me. I'd missed my bus stop in New York and ended up in Boston. I wound up in this really creepy neighborhood and I couldn't get a hotel room, so I decided to stay the night in a church."

"I scared her on accident," Kurt muttered sheepishly.

"Yeah, well, I got over it and he helped me get here," Willow said with a fond smile. "I couldn't have done it without him."

"So that is why we couldn't find you for days!" Margali cried. "When we were doing the show in Canada, Kurt slipped off for a whole week and came back exhausted."

"That would be my fault," Willow said with a sigh. "He wore himself out teleporting so much."

"I've gotten much better at it," Kurt reported.

"Right before we packed up to leave, Kurt went missing completely. We waited for him, but we were already late to our next stop on the tour," she said. "I never forgave myself for leaving him behind."

"Well, he's safe and sound now," Willow said. "This is probably the best place for him."

"Yes," Margali sighed, "I'm afraid that even in the circus _mein_ _Schatz_ was not free from persecution. The night he was taken from us, I had a feeling that even if he were to find his way back, the circus would never be home for him again."

"It's not zat I don't want to be around everyone zere," Kurt said. "I just feel zat I can be myself around here more."

"I understand," she said empathetically. "The show will never be the same without the Incredible Nightcrawler, but your life here, I see, is far more rewarding. Besides, I would not take you from the one that loves you." Willow smiled a little. "You both have my blessing for whatever lies in your future."

"Thank you," Willow said graciously.

"It was lovely meeting you, my dear, but I'm afraid that the jet lag has caught up with me," Margali said through a yawn.

"We'll leave you alone, then," Willow said, heading for the door. "It was nice meeting you."

"We will have to talk more later," Margali said in place of a good-bye. Kurt and Willow slipped out of his room, closing the door behind them.

"Vat do you think?" Kurt asked as they made their way to Willow's room.

"She's really nice, I like her," Willow said. Then a playful smile spread across her injured lips. "She calls you _Schatz_?"

"_Ja_, vat's wrong vis zat?" he asked indignantly.

"_Treasure?_" Willow teased, translating the pet name into English.

"She also gave me the nickname 'Nightcrawler'. She said zat it vas because I didn't sleep for very long ven I vas little," he said.

"Oh, I get it," Willow said, opening her door and stepping inside.

"It's a little messy in here…," he said. The room looked like a bomb had gone off; clothes and shoes were everywhere and the bed was far from made.

"Oh, excuse me if I don't feel like cleaning. I just fought in a damn war is all," Willow said sarcastically. "You can clean it if you want."

"I think I'll pass," he said, throwing himself over the piles of clothes and onto the bed.

"Careful, there, buddy," Willow said as she sat down. "Wouldn't wanna ruin the bed you're sleeping in tonight."

"_Was_?" Kurt said, looking taken aback.

"Margali's got your bed, so you get to sleep in here," she said. Then she added hastily, "But if you don't want to…"

"_Nein, Leibchen_, I do," he said. "I guess I just thought I'd sleep on ze floor…"

"No way," Willow barked. "Tonight you sleep with me."

"Oh, really?" he said, cocking an eyebrow suggestively.

"Really," Willow said with a coy little smile.

* * *

Jackie examined the puffy bruises on her neck the in the bathroom mirror grudgingly. They were so unsightly that she didn't dare go outside in anything less than a turtleneck. Blob had certainly done a number on her. Being thrown and kicked around had also cracked a pair of ribs, but there was really nothing she could do about that except take it easy for the next few weeks.

"Goddamn sonnovabitch," she muttered, referring to her massive antagonist. The sound of her bedroom door opening distracted her. She poked her head out of the miniscule bathroom and saw Warren standing in her doorway. "Hey," she said, rolling the turtleneck collar back over her bruises.

"Hi," he replied.

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to see you," he said simply. Jackie's lips twitched with a smile.

"Can you close the door for just a second?" she asked. He obliged while Jackie sat down in her desk chair. She gestured to her bed, so he took a seat.

"Warren, I don't get you," she said bluntly. He looked confused.

"What's not to get?" he asked.

"I don't get why you're so damn nice to me. I don't get why you want to spend all your time with me, and I don't get why you risked your life coming back to Alcatraz. She could have ripped you to bits, you should have just stayed out of the way with your dad…," she said in an irritated voice.

"I thought it was obvious," he said. "And I don't see why you're mad."

"I'm not mad, I'm just…well, frustrated because you confuse me so much," she said. "Why would you do that? Fly into that hell hole just to look for me?"

"Because I _care_ about you," he said, deciding to be just as blunt as she was being. He thought for a second about reaching out to hold her hand, but he was nervous enough already. "Why else would I act like this? I _like_ hanging out with you, I _like_ that you accept me for who I am. And, if you'd let me, I'd _like_ to get to know you better."

"But _why_?" Jackie persisted, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "I don't see what's so great about me. I've got emotional issues, I can't always control my own strength, I'm vulgar, I disregard people's feelings sometimes, I don't trust people, the list goes on. I'm a mess, Warren."

"I don't care," he said, looking straight into her eyes with his hawk-like gaze. Jackie wasn't expecting this. She assumed that her self evaluation would discourage him, at least a little. "Whatever's bothering you, I'll be here to help you through it. I won't leave you behind just because it's convenient or because it'll benefit me. I'm not Pyro, Jackie."

"I know you're not," she sighed in a frustrated voice. She ran a hand through her white hair and looked away from him. She never meant to compare him with John. The two boys occupied completely opposite ends of the spectrum, and even suggesting that Warren was acting like John, she knew, was offensive. "I know, I just…I don't know. I guess I just have to get used to you being _nice_ to me. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah," he said, thinking of his own transition from a cruel, uncaring world to the safety and acceptance of the mansion. "It does. And I'm willing to wait until you trust me enough to let me in."

"I will," she said, looking him dead in the face to show that she was sincere. "Eventually, when I know for sure that you won't hurt me."

"I would never do anything to hurt you on purpose," he promised with a shake of his head.

"I really hope not, because you seem like such a good person," she said. "Just give me some time."

"However long it takes, I'll be here," he said, finally mustering up the courage and putting his hand on hers. She looked down at it and smiled ironically.

"Thank you," she said, grateful that he could understand her.

"Does this mean I have to find another flying partner?" he asked with half a smile as he retracted his hand.

"No way, you're stuck with me, there," Jackie said with a smirk. He smiled fondly at her.

"Sometime I'll take you when the moon's out," he said as he got up to leave.

"Sounds like a plan," she replied. Jackie watched him go and smiled to herself as every strand of hair on her head, charged with static electricity, stood at attention.

* * *

** Author's Note: **** Sorry for the short chapter. More soon, I promise!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Bleeding Hearts**

**The Sequel to _Weeping Willow_**

**An X3 Fanfiction by Carrie**

**Chapter Nine**

Willow's radio alarm clock chirped to life at 9:00am the next day. She groaned as she reached for it, but her legs were tangled up with Kurt's, not to mention his tail.

"Move over," she grunted, pushing his shoulder so that he'd roll away from her.

"_Fünf_ _weitere Minuten_…," he muttered as he rolled over. Willow rolled her eyes as she reached over him and switched off the alarm. She started to get out of bed, but an arm caught her around the waist and pulled her back in.

"What happened to five more minutes?" she asked, colliding with Kurt's muscular torso.

"Vat I meant vas, five more minutes vis _you_," he quipped, opening one eye and grinning.

"I've gotta take a shower, you punk, my class starts in two hours and it takes forever to dry this damn hair of mine," she told him.

"You can be a little late," he said.

"Fine," she said, snuggling against his warm, bare chest. "But if I fall asleep and skip my class and Storm yells at me, I'm not gonna be in a good mood."

"You won't miss it," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I promise."

* * *

After almost a half an hour of dozing off, Willow looked lazily at the clock. Upon seeing it, she shot out of bed.

"Crap!" she cried, digging through her piles of clothes for a clean towel. Kurt simply rolled over and threw the blankets over his head. She gathered up a clean, mostly wrinkle-free outfit and ran into her tiny bathroom. "This is all your fault, Kurt," she said from the confines of her shower, more mad at herself than anything else.

"My fault?" he laughed in a raised voice as put his hands behind his head, resting on his palms. "It vas you zat lost track of time."

"Yeah, well…you're distracting!" she sputtered.

"Hey, I can't help zat I'm so lovable," he joked with a shrug.

"Oh, sure," he heard her grumble. "If Professor X knew I was back on my late-to-class streak again, he'd have something to say about it. I couldn't even make it to class on time when I was a _student_."

"Again, how is zat my fault?" he asked, feeling a pang of sadness as he thought back on the news that the Professor was gone.

"It isn't…," she muttered.

"Sorry, vat vas zat?" Kurt asked, grinning to himself.

"_It isn't_!" she repeated. Willow knew he was messing with her and, normally, she'd be one hundred percent ready to go along with it. But she'd gotten off on the wrong foot that morning and all she wanted to do was somehow get back on track. Not that waking up, limbs intertwined with the guy she loved was a bad thing, but that was another story…

Willow got out of the shower, dried herself off, threw on her clothes and wrestled a brush through her thick mat of wet hair. She poked her head out of the bathroom, a toothbrush dangling from her mouth, just in time to see Kurt put his shirt back on.

"Hey, what time is it?" she asked.

"10:05," he reported, zipping himself into his jeans that he'd discarded last night, leaving him in naught but his boxers.

"Oh man…," Willow moaned through a mouthful of toothpaste. She finished brushing her teeth and got to work blow drying her hair. Usually, it took around twenty minutes before it even _looked _dry. When most of the moisture had been taken care of, she flung her hair into a loose braid that she let flop over one shoulder. Quickly, she checked her appearance.

"You look fine, _Liebchen_," Kurt told her.

"I look like I haven't done laundry in two weeks," she said, examining the old black hoodie and grass-stained jeans with blown out knees that she had on.

"_Have_ you done laundry in two veeks?" he asked.

"No…," she muttered, throwing everything aside, looking for her text book and lesson plan.

"Looking for these?" he asked, handing her the desired items that had been sitting neatly on her desk all along.

"Thanks," she said, taking them from him. "Gotta go, tell your mom I said hi, I'll be back in a couple hours."

"Isn't your class only van hour?" he asked.

"Staff meeting," she explained, kissing him quickly on the forehead. "See ya later."

"'Bye," he said with a smile.

* * *

A cool October breeze swept across the lawn, giving Willow's horticulture class a collective case of the goose bumps. They zipped and buttoned up sweatshirts and jackets as they waited for their teacher.

"She _is_ coming today, right?" Bobby said, standing around in just a t-shirt. Bobby didn't get cold.

"She'll be here," Jackie said. "I think…"

"Speak of the devil," Kitty muttered, her teeth chattering. Willow sprinted across the lawn towards them, ready to teach them something new about plants.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late," she panted.

"Did it have something to do with your sleepover?" Kitty teased.

"Can it," Willow said under her breath through gritted teeth.

"Are we ever going to move class inside?" Theresa Cassidy asked.

"Pretty soon," Willow said. "Eventually I won't be able to grow most annuals since they'll be out of season and hard to keep alive out here. Also, thought I'd let you guys know, there's a midterm coming up pretty soon." Everyone groaned. "Don't freak out, I haven't even told you want I want from you yet! We're gonna start doing a brief overview of pomology soon. Anyone remember from the syllabus what pomology is?"

"The study of fruit-bearing plants and how to cultivate them," Jubilee piped up. She had been showing up more often once the news of Willow's stricter classroom policies came her way. To Willow's complete surprise, she had been doing her homework and turning it in on time as well.

"Good, good. Might wanna write that down, those of you who didn't know. Anyway, back to the midterm. It's gonna be a paper," she said.

"But we've been doing papers every week," Paige Guthrie complained.

"Oh, please," Willow said, rolling her eyes. "They're always one measly page just to make sure you're paying attention. The midterm paper will be no less than five pages based on what we learn about pomology. You'll pick a species, research it and write a paper."

"How many internet sources can we use?" asked Roberto.

"Any and all you can get your hands on. I know that for some of us, it's not so easy heading out to the library," she said. "You guys don't have to worry about this for a little while, so just concentrate on note-taking for the next few weeks and keep up on your homework. Alright, so today we're gonna start chapter six, I'd like you to read that over to yourself tonight…" Suddenly, a pair of hands covered her eyes from behind, causing Willow to jump half out of her skin.

"Guess who, _chere_?" said a voice in her ear that Willow hadn't heard in a very long time.

"Gambit!" she cried as he lifted his hands away from her eyes. She turned around and had her speculations confirmed: Remy LeBeau was back, looking the same as the day he'd sat down next to her on the greyhound, bound for the east coast. His hair was still long on top, looking wind-swept as ever. His classic five o' clock shadow still adorned his chin and cheeks. A trench coat was slung around his shoulders, allowing him to look like trouble when he wanted to. "Oh my God! How are you? Where have you been?" she asked, beaming.

"Oh, here and dere, you know how it is," he said with a shrug. "Decided after all dis cure business I oughta find someplace safe for a while."

"Well, you've come to the right place," she said.

"So what is dis? You teachin' now, _mon_ _ami_?" he asked.

"Yep, first class ever," she said with a smile. As she glanced at the staring faces, she realized how very confused they all must be. "You guys, this is Remy LeBeau, also known as Gambit. He's a friend of mine." Gambit flashed his suave, Cajun smile.

"Oh, I meant to say dat I'm sorry for not writin' you," he said, turning his attention back on Willow. "Tings got a little…complicated for a while. Didn't have de time."

"No sweat," she told him.

"Is Remy gonna be a distraction if he stays around and has a listen?" he asked with a grin.

"You can hang around if you want," said Willow. "Eventually you should talk to Storm. She's the brains of the outfit; she'll find you a room and all that."

"I'll look into it," he said as he sauntered away and took a place behind everyone else.

"Ah, okay, so as I was saying, chapter six is over the basics of pomology. Like most horticulture, besides knowing how to raise a healthy garden, pomology is based on knowing how to cultivate crops for mass production. We're going to start with apple trees since they're pretty common and can be grown in pretty much anyone's backyard," Willow said. She quickly grew a small apple tree sapling.

"Alright, here we have a baby apple tree, usually called a 'whip'. When you plant these little guys, you wanna make sure that it's going to get plenty of sunlight, not only because it'll grow faster and bigger, but because the sun dries the dew from the leaves that could otherwise cause infection or rot. Also, you have to make sure that the soil you're planting in has good drainage. The roots can't breathe if they're submerged in standing water all the time."

The class quickly scribbled down notes. Remy grinned to himself. Last time he'd seen Willow, she was stand-offish, scared and without any kind of confidence. Now, as he watched her teach, he could see that she'd become a strong, independent young woman, ready to take on the world.

"Make sure that when you're looking at apple tree whips to buy that they're in good condition. Make sure the bark and the leaves look healthy. A lot of times you get what you pay for, so sometimes it's better to go with the more expensive plant. At least then you know that you're paying for quality."

"As for fruit, you can expect most varieties to ripen in June or July. Usually the fruit doesn't last more than around two or three weeks. Alright, so I'm gonna name a few varieties of apples and when the fruit becomes ripe. I'll try to show examples of each, but I'm not sure how long they'll last since it's pretty late in the season…"

* * *

After another half hour, Willow dismissed everyone from class. Gambit was the only one that stuck around. Willow fished her cell phone out of her pocket and observed that the staff meeting began in five minutes.

"I'm gonna be late again," she groaned as she decomposed the last demonstration apple tree.

"Now that right there is fascinatin'," Gambit said, gesturing to the rotting tree.

"Think so?" she asked as the tree disappeared into the ground.

"Sure," he said brightly. "Also, I'm glad to see dat you're doin' so good out here. Got a home and friends and a class-…"

"And I'm on a team of mutants," Willow added as she lead Remy across the lawn at a quick walk. "We save the world from time to time."

"Now ain't dat somethin'!" he cried. "Dis little _petite_'s gone and grown up without me."

"You aren't _that_ much older than me," she told him with a raised eyebrow.

"How old you now, _chere_?" he asked.

"I turn twenty on my next birthday," she said.

"Well den, I guess you were right. I turn twenty-three on _my_ next birthday," he said.

"You're younger than my boyfriend," Willow scoffed.

"Now hold on one minute," he said sternly, stopping her. "Dis boyfriend of yours, how old's he?"

"Twenty-four," she answered.

"He treat you right?" Remy asked.

"He couldn't treat me better," Willow said with a smile. "You'll have to meet him. He's quite the character."

"Well, I'm gonna have to insist. Wouldn't want you runnin' around with no lowlife like Remy," he said with a grin.

Willow led Gambit into the Mansion and upstairs toward one of the many common rooms. This one, however, had been changed into the staff lounge by Storm. Students were allowed to enter, but it was largely avoided as most of the younger ones had no desire to spend quality time with their teachers.

True to form, three sets of eyes stared at her when she entered the room. Storm gave her a disapproving look.

"Sorry I'm late," Willow said apologetically.

"Who is your friend?" Hank asked curiously from his seat on one of the couches.

"Oh, this is Remy LeBeau. He needs a place to stay until everything cools down," Willow said.

"If dat's alright wit you," Gambit added.

"Well, you came at a good time," Storm sighed in an irritated voice, "Quite a few parents have pulled their children out of the institute, so we have a few vacancies. Do you mind waiting outside until after the meeting?"

"_Non_, dat's fine wit me," he said with a shrug. Willow let him out of the room.

"Promise me something," she said.

"Anyting for you," he quipped. Willow rolled her eyes. _Same old Gambit._

"Stay outta trouble and just sit tight," she said.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think dat you don't trust Remy," he said, sounding amused.

"Just stay put," she told him. She went back inside, leaving Gambit alone in the hall.

"Have a seat, Willow," Storm said, rising to her feet. As Willow flopped down on the couch next to Beast, she realized how incredibly exhausted Storm looked. Taking over the position of Headmaster of the school was her duty, but on top of teaching three classes and organizing new student affairs and getting others moved out of their old rooms, Willow could definitely understand how that could get tiring.

"Okay," Storm sighed as she began to pace a little. "This is going to be a particularly difficult time for us now that classes have started back up. A lot of these kids are going to have a hard time with the recent events, so I really want to make sure that everyone who needs comfort gets it. Also, for some of you new teachers, you're probably going to see some dropping grades. Do what you can to encourage the children to get their work done, even if they're distracted."

"Let's get to the part where you assign me a job," Logan growled. "If I'm gonna stick around, I wanna at least have something to do."

"Alright…," Storm said, sounding stressed. "Logan, since I'm going to be so busy, I want you to take over the Danger Room sessions. You've proven that you're a reliable part of the team, so I trust you."

"I like the sound of that," he said with a smirk.

"Hank's going to be taking over the Professor's Ethic's class as well as Chemistry, Physics and Humanities," Storm said.

"Quite the load, furball," Logan said sarcastically. Hank eyed him wryly.

"Willow, you've really improved as a teacher and I'm willing, if you're ready, to hand over Jean's old art class to you," Storm said.

"Sure," Willow said. "No problem." Her gut felt like it was tying in a knot. Were they not in such a scrape, Willow might have declined the offer. However, Willow knew that she had to be willing to pull some extra weight for the good of the institute. If they didn't find a way to keep classes going at a semi-normal rate, half the purpose of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters would up and vanish. It was their responsibility to not only give their students a safe place to live, but to educate them and prepare them for the road ahead.

"I'll still handle History, Mathematics and English. Unfortunately, we will have to discontinue the music course," she said.

"No one'll miss it," Willow said. "When I took it, there were only a few kids in the class anyway."

"As long as we can give the students the equivalent of a high school education, maybe better, we'll know that we've done our job right," Storm said. "It's a big work load, but I'm confident that we can do it."

"So will art be available as an elective right after my semester of horticulture is done?" Willow asked.

"That was the idea," Storm said. "It'll give you plenty of time to write up a lesson plan."

"Which is a good thing since I'm so very bad at writing them…," Willow muttered under her breath.

"You'll be fine," Hank said softly, peering over the tops of his reading glasses at her. She smiled and felt a little better about the gauntlet of work ahead of her.

"The new changes will be effective next semester, right in time for class sign ups," she concluded. "Alright, well, that went faster than I expected," Storm said, wracking her brains for anything else she had to say. "Why don't we get your friend on file and in a room, Willow?"

"Right behind you," Willow said, getting up and following Storm out of the room.

* * *

Out in the hall, Gambit was behaving himself remarkably well. He hadn't made a peep, he hadn't flirted with anyone and he hadn't blown anything up. So far, Willow thought that he was making a pretty good impression.

"Dat was fast," he said with a smile when the two women emerged.

"Why don't we step into my office and we'll get you set up," Storm said, taking the lead down the hall. It was still awkward to refer to Charles' office as hers. She would never feel at home at his place behind the desk. In fact, most days, she generally tried to avoid the room entirely. Just being in there conjured up painful memories that she would prefer to leave behind her.

Remy looked around the immaculate office, visibly impressed. He knew an entire guild of thieves that would give an arm and a leg to gain access to this place. _Good ting dose times are behind me_, he thought to himself. One last close call had brought his days of petty thieving to an end. Well, maybe not _entirely_ to an end, but he was planning on cutting back…

"Alright," Storm said, sitting down uncomfortably in the chair behind the desk. She could see that she wasn't the only one that felt awkward in Xavier's office. Willow shifted her weight, feeling uneasy. The last time she'd been in here, the Professor had sensed Jean's disappearance from the mansion.

Storm retrieved a stats Xerox from one of the drawers in her desk. Every time they welcomed a new student into their midst, a stats sheet had to be filled out. Name, date of birth, original place of residence, mutation, visitor list, etcetera.

"Name," Storm said, pencil poised for action.

"Remy LeBeau," he replied.

"Any aliases?"

"Gambit."

"Date of birth."

"February 1st."

"Age?"

"Twenty-two."

"Height?"

"6'1''."

"Weight?"

"Oh, 'bout 175."

"Original place of residence?"

"New Orleans, Louisiana."

"Mutation?"

"You're lookin' at a couple of 'em," he said, looking into her eyes. She scribbled down his unusual optic features. "Aside from dat," he said, extracting the Ace of Spades from his inner trench coat pocket. He gripped it until it began to glow with hot-orange energy before he tossed it into the air. The card exploded, sending smoldering bits to the hardwood floor below. "I dunno what you'd call dat, 'cept for maybe blowin' tings up."

"We'll have the resident scientist examine you to pin point your powers," she said, referring, of course, to Hank.

"As long as it don't involve needles, fine by me," he said with a smile.

"I'll make sure to let him know," Storm said, returning the smile. "Alright, last question. For all of the residents here, we set up a visitor list to ensure their safety. So is there anyone you _don't_ want visiting you?"

"Pretty much anyone who ain't in dis house," Gambit said almost grimly. This last comment worried Storm a little, but, then again, _she_ didn't want any visitors from the outside either. Each of them had their own demons to deal with, after all.

"Fair enough," she said. She got out a tan colored file, marked it 'Remy LeBeau' with a sharpie, and filed it away in the cabinet behind her. Next, she grabbed a clipboard that was sitting precariously atop a mound of stacked, graded essays. She flipped through the ledger for a moment. "Let's see here…we have a vacant room on the third floor," she said.

"Guess I'll be gettin' my exercise on dem stairs everyday," he smirked. "Oh well, gotta keep up dis manly physique somehow."

"Oh, please…," he heard Willow mutter from the back of the room. He flashed a lazy smile in her direction.

"Well, if you're interested in a workout, I'm sure you can get in on the Danger Room sessions, which are opening up to everyone next semester," Storm said.

"Danger Room, eh?" he said, looking interested. "Sounds like fun."

"You have no idea…," Willow said. _Logan'll_ _whip his Cajun ass into shape, that's for sure…_

"Remy can handle whatever you dish out, _chere_," he promised Storm.

"I'll make sure Logan knows you're coming," she said, writing herself a note.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

**Bleeding Hearts**

**The Sequel to _Weeping Willow_**

**An X3 Fanfiction by Carrie**

**Chapter Ten**

Ever since Storm had assigned him Danger Room duties a few months ago, Logan had been anxious to get started. There were several new little punks that had signed up and a few old ones. He was sad to see that not everyone had returned. Rogue did what she thought was best for her and finally got the cure. Although Logan would have preferred that she try and work through her mutation, he had to admit that he'd never seen her happier. Gone were the gloves that constantly shielded her skin from human contact. Her and Bobby's relationship flourished, which was why Logan never passed up an opportunity to give Iceman a hard time. He had gone a little too far the other day, which was probably why Bobby had erased his name from the sign up sheet.

"Oh well," Logan mused, already zipped into his combat uniform and waiting impatiently outside the locker rooms. The X-Men were out first, naturally. Among the ranks were Colossus, Shadowcat, Willow, Nightcrawler, Blackout and Angel, each in their own specially fitted black uniform. Logan could have laughed when the new recruits came awkwardly out of the locker rooms. He had given them all the standard indigo and gold training outfits. They were ugly, they were ill fitting, and they were utterly conspicuous, making it difficult for them _not_ to be seen.

"How come they get to wear nice uniforms?" Paige Guthrie's brother, Sam huffed in his Kentucky drawl as he stared enviously at the X-Men's badass attire.

"Because they've earned it," Logan barked.

"I don't see why I can't just wear my own damn clothes," Gambit grumbled.

"Zip it, Gumbo, or you won't be around long enough to appreciate that suit," growled Wolverine. He didn't care if this guy was one of Willow's friends. He had a cockiness about him that didn't sit right with Logan.

"De name's _Gambit_," the Cajun said defensively.

"You'll go by whatever I decide to call you. None of you have done anything yet to earn even a bit of respect. You see these guys?" he said, motioning to the X-Men. "They've been on real missions. Unlike you little brats, they've learned how to pull their weight in a team situation. That's the whole point of the Danger Room. It ain't a playground and this ain't screwin' off time. I'm gonna teach you how to defend yourself and your teammates with your powers. Consider these six your mentors from now on. They know the ropes; they've gone through the training. Got any questions after today, you come to me or to them."

"We're gonna do a basic training session today with these," he said, motioning to a rack of paintball guns. The X-Men received assigned colors (Jackie had white paint, Nightcrawler had dark blue and so on) and the rest got plain yellow. "Use your powers to avoid getting pegged. If you get shot, that's it, you're out for today. This should be a cake walk. If it isn't, consider private lessons outside of class or quitting. I got no time for wiseguys who don't listen and follow orders. Everyone understand?" Logan asked gruffly. The four new comers nodded, some looking rather intimidated.

"Alright then," he said, taking a half-smoked cigar out of his pocket. He bit down on one end while he relit the other with a match. He took a few drags before speaking again. "I ain't really much for speeches or theory. Mostly I believe in _doing_. So try to keep up."

* * *

Gambit crouched behind a crushed building edifice, his paintball gun at the ready. He could understand why Wolverine had given the little ones a hard time, but Remy had gotten himself out of plenty of close calls. He knew how to fight with his powers, and he wasn't afraid to say so, not even to a guy like Logan.

The sound of approaching footsteps brought Gambit back from his musing. He peeked out from behind the crumbling wall and saw Wolverine's burly frame saunter past, his paintball gun hanging lazily at his side.

_Dis_ _gon' be too easy_, Remy thought with a smirk as he came silently out from the wall. He raised his paintball gun to get Logan in the back when the sound of imploding air met his ears. Flying sideways out of a cloud of blue smoke was Willow, held around the waist by Nightcrawler. She grinned at him for a split second. _SPLATSPLATSPLAT! _Before Gambit could even figure out how they'd appeared in front of him, she had disappeared into another curling cloud of blue haze. He looked down at his unsightly uniform and found three green splats of paint.

"She's good," he said to himself, resigning to the 'out' area in the middle of the holographic field.

* * *

Sam Guthrie, or Cannonball as he was sometimes known, used his thermal kinetic energy to propel him through the air, looking for anything that moved. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the youngest X-Man, Shadowcat, move into plain sight. He fired a pair of well aimed paintballs at her, but they phased right through her. In the moment that it took Cannonball to look away from where he was flying, Colossus stepped into the young mutant's path. Sam collided with him and crumpled to the ground. Sam massaged his aching head as he looked up at Peter's looming frame. Colossus' lips twitched into a brief grin before he nailed Sam with a silver paintball.

"Aw man…," Sam muttered, marching off to join Gambit in the loser's circle.

"Dese guys know what dey're doin', no?" Remy said sardonically.

"Cake walk my ass…," Cannonball grumbled.

* * *

Jubilee had never fought anyone in her life up until this so-called Danger Room session. She would never have gone, but Jackie talked her into it. After a few melted alarm clocks, Jackie pointed out that maybe it was about time Jubilee started mastering her skills. Jubilee finally gave in and signed up, but so far, she wasn't impressed. She didn't see how paintballing was going to help anyone master anything. If anyone got paint in her hair, she was gonna be pissed.

"You're not even trying, kiddo," Wolverine growled in her ear from behind. Jubilee yelped and whipped around, sticking her hands out and knocking Wolverine back a few steps with a couple explosive plasma pafs. He growled as the burnt skin on his face regenerated. He lifted his gun and hit her casually in the shoulder with a red paintball.

"Ow!" she howled dramatically, clutching her bruised shoulder.

"Nice reflexes," he commented as she walked away with a huff, her perfectly styled hair speckled with red on one side. "One more to go…"

* * *

Danielle Moonstar didn't generally like using her powers. Before she came to Xavier's, she'd been losing friends at a steady rate due to her uncontrollable ability to project images of people's worst fears or, sometimes, their greatest desires. She couldn't think of a good reason to have to use them, except for maybe a distraction.

The sound of enormous flapping wings above her caused her to look skyward, her paintball projectile poised to hit the winged mutant she had seen before. He was definitely close, but the smoke and haze blocked her view of where he might be.

_SPLAT!_ Moonstar's attention was diverted from her flying adversary to the wall next to her. A white blot of paint dribbled down its surface.

"Shit!" she heard someone hiss. Jackie's aim was terrible, and she would be the first to admit it. Logan had tried countless times to get her to take her time, relax, and hit the target, but he'd pretty much given up on her.

In retaliation to the near miss, Moonstar sensed Jackie's greatest desire and projected it in front of her. Jackie's attention was diverted from Moonstar as an image of Warren, almost naked, walked toward her. She was hypnotized for a moment by his perfect form, but quickly snapped out of it when a yellow paintball hit her painfully in the chest. The image vanished and Jackie was left humiliated. She strode over to the loser's circle, angry that she'd lost to a newcomer.

"Dat guy your beau, _mon_ _ami_?" Gambit teased, referring to the image.

"No, he's not," Jackie said, blushing furiously. "I hope he didn't see that."

"I think he did," Sam said as Angel dove down below the haze, pegging Moonstar with a light blue paintball.

"Oh God…," Jackie groaned, sitting down and drawing her knees up close to her. Danielle came awkwardly over to the out area.

"Hey, sorry," she said to Jackie. "I didn't mean to, you know, make a fool out of you."

"It's okay," Jackie said, burying her face in her knees, mortified.

* * *

Now that all the newcomers were out, it was a free for all for the X-Men. Although there wasn't supposed to be teams, Willow and Nightcrawler fought together anyway and their first target was Angel.

"It's time for some crazy acrobatics," Willow told him.

"I like ze sound of zat," he said with a grin.

"Boost me up onto this wall," Willow told him. She lifted her foot up and he caught it with his hands. Applying his unusual strength, Kurt practically threw her straight up into the air. Willow did a front flip in the air before landing nicely on top of the wall. Kurt teleported up next to her.

"Cheater," Willow sneered.

"Shh, I think I can hear him…," he said, putting a finger to his lips. Willow and Kurt listened for a moment, only interrupted for a moment by a couple blatant misses by Kitty's pink paintballs. Willow fired some of hers in retaliation, but they struck the solid concrete that Shadowcat just phased through, exploding on impact.

"He's right above us!" Kurt hissed.

"One more boost," Willow said. Nightcrawler flung Willow into the air, ready to teleport her to safety on the way down.

Willow fired a few shots at Warren, but he dove towards the ground. She could feel herself begin her quick descent to the earth below, but she trusted that Kurt would prevent any harm from coming to her. She felt something hit her in the butt right before Nightcrawler teleported in front of her. He grabbed her in midair and bamfed to the ground. Willow turned around to examine who had shot her. Silver paint dripped down her leg.

"Peter, you suck!" she cried angrily, but the burly Russian had disappeared behind some rubble.

"Vorry not, fair maiden, for I will avenge you," Kurt said valiantly.

"You better, I hate sitting on the sidelines!" Willow said as she stomped angrily away. Kurt teleported to head off Colossus. As soon as Peter caught sight of Nightcrawler, he fired a barrage of paintballs at him, but Kurt had disappeared. Colossus looked around, his gun ready for anything Nightcrawler might surprise him with. Peter heard the _bamf_ behind him, but by the time he turned around, he was already shot. He cursed under his breath as his organic metal gave way to peach skin.

The last two left were Angel and Wolverine. The problem was that Kurt had no idea where either of them was. He crouched in the shadows, camping out for some sign of his two opponents. Suddenly, he heard the whoosh of wings directly above him. He looked skyward and saw Warren land on the wall above a split second before Angel saw him. Kurt let a dark blue paintball fly, which hit Warren on the upper thigh, dangerously close the family jewels.

"Sorry!" Kurt said with a wince. Warren sighed and flew off to join the others.

"Alright, Elf, just you and me now," Kurt heard Logan growl, his voice echoing slightly, making it difficult to pinpoint where he was. "Maybe you better just come out so I can get this over with." Instead of shouting out a comeback, Kurt crept closer to the sound of Logan's voice. Wolverine might have been able to sniff him out, but Kurt wasn't going to let Logan hear him by teleporting.

"Where are ya, Elf?" Wolverine growled in a sing-song voice. He was close, maybe just yards ahead. Kurt had to keep himself from jumping out of his skin when Logan's silhouette ambled into view just ten feet away, his back to Kurt. Wolverine sniffed the air and caught Kurt's scent – just before being shot in the arm by a paintball. He looked down at it and smirked.

"Alright, that's it," Wolverine said, admitting defeat. "End training sequence," he told the computer. The hologram around them shimmered and slowly disappeared into the empty Danger Room. "That was pretty good," he told everyone. "Specially Danielle. It's not every day a rookie takes out one of the X-Men."

"Yeah, it was great…," muttered Jackie under her breath, avoiding Warren's gaze.

"Thanks," Moonstar said, looking a little flustered.

"You four need some work, that's for damn sure," Wolverine said gruffly. "But, it was your first training session, so I won't be so hard on you. Just one word of advice, coming from very recent experience: don't get cocky or a guy like Nightcrawler'll take you out," he said, flashing a grin at the teleporter. "Got that, Cajun?"

"I'll file dat away for later," Gambit grumbled angrily.

"Alright, let's get out of these uniforms and get the paint scrubbed off of 'em," he said, dismissing the class. On the way out of the Danger Room, Logan clapped Kurt on the shoulder. "Remind me to buy you a drink, Elf."

"I von't let you forget," Kurt said, beaming.

* * *

"I'm sure you have all seen this image before," Hank McCoy said as a picture of the last supper flashed up on the screen in his Humanities class.

"Isn't that from _The Da Vinci Code_?" someone asked.

"It is certainly featured in the novel, yes," he said. "This is Leonardo Da Vinci's _The Last Supper_. Does anyone notice anything interesting about the composition?"

"It's perfectly symmetrical," Kitty noted.

"Exactly," he said. "Notice how the windows are arranged on the sides and in the back. Notice how the disciples are arranged. If you were to fold this image down the middle, it would be perfectly balanced. What else do you notice?" Hank waited for someone to answer him, but no one did. "A certain number…?" he said slowly, trying to prompt his students.

"Three," Jackie blurted, very nearly asleep.

"Correct!" Hank cried exuberantly. "Everything is in threes. The disciples are grouped in threes and there are three windows in the background. What significance does the number three have in religious art?"

"The holy trinity," Jackie answered.

"Right again," Hank said. "In addition to this numerical observation, note that Jesus, with his arms outstretched, forms a living triangle. Father, Son and Holy Ghost," he said, gesturing to each point on the invisible triangle that surrounds Christ. The bell rang throughout the hallways. "It seems we're out of time. We've got a quiz coming up, so don't forget to go over your art slides. And as for the inspirational quote of the day: 'We know what we are, but know not what we may become.' Shakespeare. Have a good day, everyone!" he said as his students filed out of the classroom.

Jackie bustled out of the classroom, only to bump into Warren's solid, yet delicate, frame. A pit formed in her stomach; she had been avoiding him for the last week, ever since her little encounter with Dani Moonstar's powers. Embarrassment was only the tip of the iceberg.

"Warren!" she yelped in surprise. "Er…what're you doing here?"

"I thought I'd try to catch you after class since I never see you anymore," he said.

"I can't really stick around, I'm gonna be late to Algebra…," she muttered, trying to get past him.

"Please," he said, stopping her with a desperate look as dozens of students pushed past them. "Please, I just…I have to talk to you."

"About what?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"About the Danger Room."

"I knew you were gonna say that…," she sighed, her cheeks burning. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't know she was gonna do that, and I…I don't know."

"But was that…you know…your…," he stammered.

"What I want the most…?" she said, filling in the gap.

"Well…yeah," he said awkwardly, fluffing up his folded wings in a flustered gesture.

"You want the truth?" she asked. He nodded, looking nervous. With one little word, she kicked down all the barriers that she'd erected to block off any and all of Warren's affections. "Yes."

"Really?" he asked, his face lighting up.

"Really," she said. Then she looked a little uneasy. "I'm…well, if I've lead you on this whole time, I'm sorry, Warren, I didn't mean to at all..."

"You haven't," he said, stopping her short. "You needed time to work things out and I respect that."

"Yeah," she muttered. "Well, I think that I'm done working things out. Truth is I've been done working things out for the last month. I didn't mean to make you wait for so long, but I kinda started to think you'd given up on me because you've been acting so…I don't know, not interested."

"I've never been 'not interested' in you," he said. "And I'd never give up on you."

"Thanks," she said, looking awkwardly down at her shoes.

"I just figured that you'd come to me if and when you were ready," he said. "Even if that meant you never would."

"Well, here I am," she said with a little smile and a shrug.

"So…what now?" he asked after a moment.

"I dunno," she said, with a confused little shrug. "Wanna…walk me to class?"

"Sure," he said affectionately. Jackie gently grabbed his hand and wove her fingers through his as they took off at an easy pace down the hall. If there was one thing to be said about the pair heading for Storm's Algebra class, it was that no one had seen anyone look nearly that happy for quite some time.

* * *

"So," grunted Logan as he polished off his fourth pint of beer, sliding the empty glass off to the side to join the others. The bartender raised an eyebrow as Logan asked for another. "Are you gonna ask her?"

"Ask her vat?" Kurt wondered, still working on his first drink that Logan had bought him for his victory in the Danger Room.

"Don't waste my time, Elf, you know what I'm talkin' about," Logan growled as the man behind the counter slid him another pint.

"Ah," Kurt said, taking a moment to down the rest of the beer in his glass. "I promised my mother I'd do it soon."

"What's 'soon' to you?" Logan asked skeptically. "Your mom's been back in Germany for months, and I bet you told her that before you even got back here." Kurt sighed, running a hand through his hair which was currently brown thanks to the image inducer.

"I don't know," he admitted, sounding helpless.

"Don't you _want_ to marry her?"

"I bought ze ring, didn't I?" Kurt said defensively.

"That don't mean nothin'," Logan barked. Kurt buried his face in his hands and groaned.

"This isn't as easy as you think it is!" he said, his voice muffled.

"What's so hard about it?" Logan asked. "All you gotta say is, 'Willow, will you marry me?'. It ain't worth gettin' cold feet over."

"She's too good for me," he said. "Zat's all zere is to it. She's smarter than I am and funnier and more kind, and I'm just not worthy of all that! I don't deserve her."

"Look at it this way, bub," Logan said. "You can't have a relationship all by yourself. She's as much a part of it as you are. And if she wanted to, she could have dumped you already. She was goin' crazy when you left for Germany. There wasn't a single time I didn't see her toting around a damn picture of your blue mug. She loves you, and you're going to have to come to grips with that and do something about it." Logan opened up his old leather wallet and slipped the bartender a couple of wrinkled bills.

"Keep the change," Logan said as he rose to his feet. Kurt followed his teammate's example and exited the bar on Logan's heels. "How 'bout this," Logan said as they walked toward home, "ask her tomorrow or I'll _make_ you ask her."

"Vell, from ze looks of things lately, you can't make me do anything," Kurt said with a grin. "I think maybe you're losing your touch."

"Believe me, things could get ugly," Logan warned.

"No need for violence, _mein_ _freund,_" Kurt said, holding up a hand. "I'll do it."

"That's right, you will," Logan said with a grin. "And Elf?"

"Yeah?"

"Do us all a favor," he said, taking hold of Kurt's arm and ripping the image inducer from his wrist. The hologram went out like a light. "Be yourself."

"I don't know how to be anything else," Kurt said with a shrug as Logan chucked the device over his shoulder. Momentarily, Kurt thought of going back for it. However, he thought better of it as the two of them walked lazily back home to the mansion.

* * *

The bell that echoed off the walls of the mansion dismissed all the students from their ten o' clock classes the next day. Swarms of kids surged through the hall, making it slow going for Kurt as he made his way upstream to Willow's art classroom.

"Hey, Mr. Wagner," said Dani Moonstar as she pushed open the door to leave art class.

"_Guten_ _tag_…," he said, flashing her a nervous smile. He reached to catch the door, but stopped, letting it sink back into the doorjamb. His insides writhed with nervousness _Vat if she says no_? he wondered frantically. He plunged a three fingered hand into his jeans pocket and clutched the jewelry box so tight that he thought for a moment that he might break it. _I can't run avay from zis,_ he thought to himself decidedly, sweat beginning to accumulate on his brow. With a deep breath, he let go of the box and grabbed the doorknob. It was now or never.

"…I would maybe not press as hard when you're blending the graphite with your fingers," Kurt heard Willow say as he walked in. "You have to be gentle or you'll get this 'dirty' effect you were talking about."

"I guess I was just in a hurry," one of the younger female students said sheepishly as she turned in what looked like a grubby self portrait.

"That's one thing you have to remember: art takes time. If you hurry, the results won't turn out how you wanted," she said.

"Are you going to flunk me?" asked the student.

"Of course not!" Willow cried. "As long as you're trying and use your time well, you'll pass the class, no problem." The little girl seemed to cheer up.

"Thanks," she said before shuffling away. Willow smiled, he eyes following her young pupil's exit.

"Here you go, _kleines_," Kurt said fondly, opening the door for the girl.

"Thanks, Mr. Wagner," she said before hurrying off to her next class.

"If this is about that Danger Room session this afternoon with Gambit, I'm all over it," Willow promised as she gathered up the messy pile of portraits. She stacked them neatly and set them to the side. "He's got a long way to go and I honestly don't have a problem tutoring him…"

"_Nein_," Kurt said, "It's not that." Willow stopped for a moment and examined her boyfriend's face. He was upset about something, or maybe nervous.

"Kurt, what's wrong?" she asked softly as she approached him. "Last time you had this look on your face, you left me for a month."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said with a little smile. "I promise."

"Then what's up?" she asked.

"Ah, well…," he stammered, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. After a few unsuccessful attempts, he sighed in exasperation and got down on one knee. Willow's heart skipped a beat.

"Kurt…whatcha doin'…?" she asked slowly, a smile spreading across her face. He fished out the jewelry box from his pocket and looked at it for a moment.

"Ve have been through so much together," he said, looking up into her eyes. "And lately…I can't imagine a life vithout you in it." His tail twitched nervously and his entire body shook. "I…I guess vat I'm trying to say is…vill you marry me?" He held up the box and opened it, revealing the sparkling, princess cut diamond in a silver setting. Willow's eyes grew large as she looked from Kurt to the ring.

"Are you serious?" she whispered.

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life," he said, his voice wavering. Willow put a hand to her smiling lips.

"I will," she muttered.

"Sorry…?" Kurt asked, his heart racing as her answer was muffled by her hand.

"Of course I'll marry you!" she said loudly, her entire face beaming. "Did you think I'd say no?" Kurt was on his feet in a flash.

"You're sure about zis?" he asked her, looking hopeful.

"Positive," she said, planting a kiss on his lips. He chuckled nervously.

"And here I thought I'd scare you avay," he said staring at the floor.

"You can't scare me, Kurt Wagner," she said. "You know me better than that." Kurt smiled at her.

"Oh! I almost forgot," he said, taking the ring out of the box. He put the case back in his pocket before taking Willow's left hand in his. In one easy movement, he slipped the ring onto her finger. "I promise to love you and be by your side as long as I live," he said, so close to her face that their noses were nearly touching.

"Sounds good," Willow said softly before Kurt took her chin gently between his thumb and index finger, tilting her head up a little so that he could kiss her. All Kurt's worries about his uncertain future with Willow vanished in that kiss. His mother was right: their love was lasting and now he knew that neither of them would let something so precious slip through their fingers.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm working on an epilogue that includes the wedding, so don't freak out! Also, I've got a few ideas rolling around in my brain for a sort of short, 'in-between the third and (possibly) fourth movie story' that involves Willow joining a team of mutants who need her to help them restore the plant life to clear cut rainforests and such. Also, I've had a strong urge to have Willow's father try to come back into her life (if you recall from the first story, he took off when she was very young and she hasn't heard from him at all.) I'm fleshing out the plot as we speak, but I just need to know if you guys would like to see something like this posted in the near future or if you'd like it to end with the wedding. Let me know, I don't want to beat a dead horse!**


	11. Epilogue

**Author's Note: Alright, so I haven't been to a wedding for a while and I tried my damnedest to look up the sequence of a wedding and what exactly the priest says at a wedding but I couldn't find ANY of it online! I was pissed. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, cut me some slack in that arena. Enjoy!**

**Bleeding Hearts**

**The Sequel to _Weeping Willow_**

**An X3 Fanfiction by Carrie**

**Epilogue**

It was a warm, beautiful spring day. The flowers were in full bloom and things were just about as back to normal as they could have been. The back lawn of Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was bustling with people from decorators to caterers, making sure that everything was perfect. After all, this _was_ a wedding.

One hundred white folding chairs were arranged into rows, each ending with a bouquet of white roses, orchids, lilies and little blue forget-me-nots. The strip of lawn between the two groups of chairs was scattered with white rose petals, leading up to an oak alter. A net of twinkling little lights was suspended above the whole area. It was exactly as Willow had asked, but she had yet to see it.

"Don't be so nervous," Jackie said as she watched Storm gently tug at Willow's stunning white wedding gown, making sure that it sat right on Willow's frame. Willow stared at herself in the full length mirror in front of her. It was surreal. She had picked the dress out last month: it was a sleeveless, simple gown with embroidered flowery designs on the bodice and train. The back of the bodice, from the straps down, was cut into a V shape. A pair of ribbons laced up the back like a corset. Willow's flowing green hair had been put up in elegant curls, a cluster of small white roses, baby's breath and ivy leaves masking the clip that fastened her two-tier veil to her head.

"Are _you_ getting married today?" Willow asked her maid of honor. Jackie smirked.

"No, but it's just Kurt. What've you got to be afraid of?" she asked. "You look awesome."

"Likewise," Willow sighed. All of Willow's bridesmaids (Jackie, Kitty, Rouge and Jubilee) were outfitted in simple, spaghetti strap light green dresses. The asymmetrical hem of each bridesmaid dress was longer in back than in the front. Willow had picked them out because the dresses reminded her of foxgloves.

"I think you're ready," Storm said, giving Willow a smile. "You look beautiful."

"I hope I don't trip on my dress," Willow sighed.

"You won't," Storm assured her. Willow stared at herself in the mirror, wondering if Kurt was going through the same thing upstairs.

* * *

"_Vater_ _unser im Himmel, Geheiligt werde dein Name. Dein Reich komme. Dein Wille geschehe, wie im Himmel so auf Erden_…," Kurt muttered to himself, clutching his crude rosary tightly. He finished up the Lord's Prayer, crossed himself and sighed shakily.

He glanced at himself in the mirror and thought how very ridiculous he looked in a tuxedo. His jacket and pants were both black while his shirt, vest and bow tie were blazingly white. The boutonniere pinned to his jacket lapel consisted of a white rose, baby's breath, blue forget-me-nots and a couple of ivy leaves. He twisted around to look at himself from the back. The jacket ended in a pair of tails. His own tail stuck out between them. Kurt remembered the nerve-wracking couple of hours Storm spent tailoring his slacks to accommodate his tail. Now that he had the whole ensemble on, he thought himself silly for questioning Storm's sewing skills: the pants fit like a glove.

"You clean up nice," Logan grunted as he entered the room. Kurt had named Logan his best man and, as such, Wolverine was required to wear a tuxedo, which he was _not_ happy about. He couldn't remember the last time he'd dressed up for anything, let alone worn a _tux_. His was almost a mirror image of Kurt's, though his vest and tie were light blue to match the forget-me-nots scattered around the wedding spread. However, his overgrown sideburns and out of control stubble were still present.

"I think I need a drink," Kurt said, his voice wavering. He had never been a heavy drinker at all, but today he felt the need to take the edge off.

"Ah, don't sweat it, Elf," Logan said, thumping his friend on the back. "It's just Willow, she doesn't bite."

"I look silly," Kurt groaned.

"Nah, you just never been in a tux before," Logan said.

"Have you?" Kurt countered. Logan muttered something that hardly qualified as an answer. "Zat's vat I thought. Vere is Warren?"

"Somewhere around here," Logan said with a shrug, not particularly caring where the winged groomsman was. The door opened suddenly, startling Kurt. The beastly frame of Hank McCoy ambled in, fully decked out in a tux (tails included), a light blue vest and bowtie and a black top hat.

"Everything alright in here?" he asked.

"You got a tranquilizer for the groom?" Logan said wryly, watching Kurt get increasingly nervous.

"I seem to have forgotten them," Hank said with a smile. "It's time."

"_Was_?" Kurt choked in German. "_Now_?"

"All the guests are present and accounted for," said Hank. "And they're already seated."

"My mother…?" Kurt asked with hope in his voice. Margali's flight had run hours late due to airport complications and so far as Kurt knew, she wasn't anywhere near New York.

"She just arrived, safe and sound," Hank reported.

"Good…," Kurt said, wiping the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. "Er…how do I look?"

"Like a perfect gentleman," Hank replied. He brought out a silver pocket watch that was attached to his vest pocket, the chain hanging from one of the buttons up his front. "I'd better go collect the bride."

"Come of, Elf," Logan said, slinging an arm around Kurt and muscling him out of the room. "It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

* * *

Jackie had left to join Kitty, Rogue and Jubilee on the lawn, leaving only Willow and Storm in the room. Willow's heart pounded nervously, made worse by the sudden presence of Hank McCoy in the doorway.

"Willow, you're a vision," Hank said affectionately.

"Thanks," Willow muttered, her cheeks growing pink.

"You too, Ororo," he said, gesturing at Storm's long light green dress. She smiled at him.

"Are you ready?" Storm asked her.

"As ready as I'm gonna be," Willow sighed. Storm helped flip the veil over Willow's face before handing her the bouquet of white roses, lilies and light blue forget-me-nots. Willow took a deep breath before they made their way out of the room.

* * *

Kurt stood in front of one hundred people, ringing his hands. His tail twitched nervously every once in a while. He glanced at the Father Colton, one of Professor Xavier's long time friends, to his left. The old priest flashed him a reassuring smile. Willow and Kurt had compromised in making their wedding a casual and lighthearted one with Catholic undertones. Kurt knew that religion was not on the top of her list of priorities, but he had always been appreciative of the fact that she respected his beliefs and opinions enough to let him worship God in his own way.

Kurt looked over at the three headstones that looked on from the garden. He and Willow had both wanted the wedding on the school's lawn for two reasons: one, because this place had become their home and two, so that the Professor, Scott and Jean could attend.

Storm slipped into her front row seat, signaling that she was no longer tending to Willow. Kurt swallowed hard as the bridesmaids and groomsmen began coming down the aisle. The pairing was a little backwards: Logan escorted Jackie since they were the best man and the maid of honor. Rogue came second escorted by Warren, Kitty third with Bobby and Jubilee fourth with Peter. They split up when they got to the altar, flanking both sides. All that was left was the bride.

Moments later, the pianist off to the side began to play the Wedding March. The entire congregation rose to their feet and directed their attention towards the pair that was coming toward the altar. He looked up the petal-strewn isle and nearly fainted; escorted by Hank McCoy was his bride, looking more beautiful than he'd ever seen her before. The music in the background seemed to fade away as she approached him, tiny white flowers growing and unfurling in her wake. He noticed her cheeks turn that faint, embarrassed pink that he'd grown so fond of, so he smiled as if to say 'don't be shy.'

When the pair reached the front row of seats, Hank turned to Willow and gave her a fatherly peck on the cheek.

"I'm so proud of you," he whispered, a smile spreading across his face. Willow's lips quivered as she tried to smile, but a few rouge tears fell onto her cheeks instead. Hank removed his handkerchief from his breast pocket as he'd done at Xavier's funeral and gently dabbed away her tears. "Now, now," he said firmly. "Chin up! Do you want your mascara to run?"

"It's waterproof," Willow said with a little laugh. Hank chuckled as he quickly folded the slightly moistened cloth and tucked it back into his pocket.

"I think if you don't go up there now, the groom may just suffer from a nervous breakdown," Hank muttered quietly, eyeing Kurt, who was still shaking like a leaf.

"Thanks Hank," Willow said. "For everything."

"Go on!" he urged, shooing her away and finding his seat next to Storm. Willow took a deep breath before joining Kurt at the altar. Both of them were smiling uncontrollably: Kurt out of a mixture of pure anxiety and awe upon seeing his beautiful bride, and Willow out of mild self consciousness and unbelievable happiness.

"You look beautiful," Kurt managed to whisper.

"Thanks," she muttered. "Is your mother here?"

"Right over zere," Kurt said, trying his best to gesture discreetly toward the front row. Willow glanced over her shoulder and saw that indeed; Margali was there, looking happy if not a little flustered from her airline fiasco.

"Shall we begin?" the Father Colton asked them kindly.

"Yes," they said together. He cleared his throat and looked out over the family and friends of the husband and wife to be.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here on this beautiful day to witness the union of Kurt Wagner and Willowtree Stevens, two very special and gifted young people who have persevered through times of great struggle and great tragedy. Because of their undying companionship and unyielding love for one another, they stand before you today to be joined in marriage," the priest said to the spectators.

"After hearing the story of their meeting, I was both touched and inspired. It amazes me still that two people, living on opposite sides of the world, facing its cruelty and intolerance alone, can find each other and endure together. To me, this kind of relationship is one of God's greatest gifts: something so perfect, so serendipitous that it could not possibly be just another accident in the universe. From the day they were born, I believe that Kurt and Willow were made for each other. And it is for this reason that I'd like to quit wasting time and get these two happily wed." The audience chuckled at this last remark, along with the bride and groom. "First and foremost, is there anyone here that does not wish for this union to take place? Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Kurt's palms began to sweat. What if someone spoke up and they had to call it off? Did anyone really ever stand up and object to a marriage? Luckily, no one said a word.

"I thought not," he said gently with a smile. Willow exhaled in relief. She'd been holding her breath while the priest waited for someone to speak their mind. She felt sort of silly now: who would have anything to even object about?

"Are you ready to take your vows?" the priest asked them quietly. Kurt and Willow looked at each other for a moment before nodding. "Alright, then do you, Kurt Wagner, take Willow Stevens to be your wife, your partner in life and your one true love?"

"I do," said Kurt, his voice wavering.

"And will you cherish that union and love her more each day than you did the day before?"

"I vill," he said, his lips quirking into a smile.

"And will you trust her and respect her, laugh with her and cry with her, loving her faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles you may face together?"

"I vill," he said with a nod. Then reciting the vow that he and Willow had both memorized, he added, "I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from zis day forward for as long as we both shall live." The priest then turned to Willow.

"And do you, Willow Stevens, take Kurt Wagner to be your husband, your partner in life and your one true love?"

"I do," Willow said softly.

"And will you cherish that union and love him more each day than you did the day before?" he asked.

"I will," she answered.

"And will you trust him and respect him, laugh with him and cry with him, loving him faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles you may face together?"

"I will," said Willow. "Always. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live."

"Will the best man please present the rings?" Father Colton asked. Everyone looked to Logan, who looked a little confused. Then it dawned on him.

"Oh, I guess that's me…," he muttered, plunging a hand into his inner jacket pocket and producing a pair of gold wedding bands. He handed them off to Kurt, who gave Willow his ring.

"If you would please exchange rings," Father Colton instructed. Kurt took the lead, taking Willow's green hand in his awkward blue one.

"In ze name of ze Father, ze Son, and ze Holy Spirit, take and vear zis ring as sign of my love and faithfulness," he said, slipping the delicate gold band onto her left ring finger. Willow smiled from ear to ear as she took his left and in hers. Kurt's ring was a little larger than the average male wedding band due simply to the fact that his fingers were bigger.

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, take and wear this ring as sign of my love and faithfulness," she recited, sliding the ring onto his third and last digit.

"In front of the eyes of your family, friends and the eyes of God, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," Father Colton said with a kindly smile. Kurt and Willow beamed as he flipped her veil back over her head. They leaned in close to each other and shared a modest, but very tender kiss. Jackie, Rouge and Jubilee all sniffled with happy tears. Logan, Warren, Bobby and Peter were grinning like madmen. "May I present Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Wagner," Father Colton announced. As rehearsed, Willow and Kurt, followed by their bridesmaids and groomsmen, exited down the aisle to the sounds of the Wedding March. The guests rose from their seats and proceeded toward the area of the lawn that had been set up for the reception. Small, round white tables had been set up before a long table adorned with catered food, more flowers and, on a small, round table off by itself, their fantastic three-tiered wedding cake topped with a small bouquet of white rose buds and blue forget-me-nots sat. However, the food was largely ignored as everyone practically attacked Willow and Kurt with congratulations.

"Oh, Willow, I'm so happy for you!" cried Yolanda, the nurse from the hospital that had made her trip to New York possible.

"Thank you so much," Willow said. The two women exchanged tight hugs.

"It's nice to meet you, finally, Kurt, I've heard all about you in Willow's letters," Yolanda told him fondly.

"I should probably sank you for all of zis," Kurt said. "Had you not been so generous, Willow and I would never have met."

"Oh, honey, I don't deserve that much credit," she laughed.

"Hey, Mrs. _Wagner_, planning on throwing that bouquet sometime today?" Jackie asked, nudging her best friend in the side with an elbow.

"I almost forgot!" Willow laughed. "Whoever wants to get married next, come over here! I'm gonna throw the bouquet!" Jackie, Rogue, Jubilee, Kitty, Husk, Siryn, Moonstar, Storm, and a gaggle of the school's younger female students crowded behind Willow. "Ready?" Willow called.

"Throw it!" cried Kitty. Willow bent down and, like a catapult, flung the bouquet over her head. The group of girls squealed and snatched at the bouquet, but Willow had put a little too much 'oomph' in her throw. It sailed right over their heads and collided with Logan's barrel of a chest. He caught it on it's descent to the lawn. His expression looked both surprised and uncomfortable.

"Aw, c'mon!" Jackie groaned, throwing her arms in the air.

" Nah…," Logan grunted, chucking the bouquet back into the crowd. The girls grabbed for it again, but in the end, Rogue came out on top.

"Ah got it!" she cried happily, holding it in the air. Everyone clapped enthusiastically. Bobby was beaming.

"I guess ve should do ze garter as vell?" Kurt said, eyeing Willow's hidden thigh.

"I guess it's only fair…," Willow grumbled, not excited to expose more skin in public than was necessary. "All the guys gather round!" she called. She hiked up her dress, revealing one porcelain skinned leg and a white lacey garter. Kurt grinned broadly, unable to help it, as he slid the garter off Willow's leg. Jackie and Kitty whistled loudly just for the sake of making Willow uncomfortable. Willow felt her cheeks turn pink, her mild embarrassment only made worse by Kurt twirling the garter around on one finger as the group of men materialized.

"Oh, stop it," Willow muttered, punching Kurt softly in the arm.

"Everyvan ready?" he asked.

"Do it, Elf," Logan said, undoubtedly more enthused to catch a piece of women's lingerie than a bunch of flowers. Kurt covered his eyes with the broad, arrow-shaped tip of his tail and shot the garter into the crowd like a rubber band.

"I got it, I got it...!" cried Bobby, clawing for it as it soared over his outstretched fingers.

"No you don't!" Hank returned jovially, making a grab for it as well.

"_I _got it," Warren said triumphantly as he plucked the delicate piece of fabric from the air. Jackie whooped, feeling that the victory was partly hers too.

"That's my Angel!" she crowed, approaching her boyfriend of nearly five months and planting a kiss on his cheek. Warren chuckled as he put and arm around her shoulders as everyone applauded his catch.

As planned, the caterers began pouring and serving champagne for those over twenty one and sparkling cider for those that weren't. The guests found seats at the tables that littered the lawn and prepared to hear the toasts made to the bride and groom. As soon as each guest had a delicate crystal glass in hand, Henry McCoy rose to his feet, facing Willow and Kurt at their own private table.

"I propose a toast to the bride and groom," he announced. The side conversation stopped as all eyes fixed upon his burly frame. "It is written: when children find true love, parents find true joy," he began, holding up his glass. "And judging by the look on Ms. Szardos' face, this is true," he said, gesturing to Margali who simply smiled, suppressing a good natured laugh. "While I, technically, have no children, I consider the young woman before me something of a daughter, and I have to say that there have been few times in my life that rival this one in my own personal joy." Willow smiled as tears welled up in her eyes. Kurt grasped her hand for emotional support. "May she share everything with her husband, including the housework," he said enthusiastically, holding his glass higher as everyone chuckled at his last remark. _Thank you_, Willow mouthed to him as he sat down again. Kurt was the next to stand up.

"I first vant to sank everyvan here for attending ze happiest day of my life," he said, receiving smiles and raised glasses in response. "And to my beautiful vife, Villow. I vould not be ze same person zat I am today visout you. You saved me from ze darkest loneliness and you have taught me how to be truly happy vis myself. I never in my vildest dreams sought zat finding somevan who vould love me for who I am, not _vat_ I am vas possible. To be quite frank, you have made my dreams come true. _Danke, meine Liebe_."

"_Bitte_ _schön_," Willow responded. Kurt raised his glass a little before taking a sip and sitting down. He and Willow exchanged a quick kiss before Logan rose from his chair, clearing his throat a little and looking very uncomfortable with all eyes on him.

"Hang on a sec, I got it around here somewhere…," he muttered as he searched his pockets for something. Finally, he extracted a crumpled scrap of paper. He smoothed it out before he began speaking. "I wrote this down 'cause I figured if I didn't, I'd stand up and forget it. This is fer you, Elf," he said, gesturing at Kurt. Logan cleared his throat again awkwardly began reading off his script's surface. "I've lived a long time, longer than I probably shoulda, and I've known a lotta different people. Been friends with some, enemies with others, but I've never met no one quite like you. Probably you're one'a the best friends I've had so far, and I just wanted you wish you guys luck with the marriage and all. Don't kill each other, 'cause lord knows you could both put up a hell of a fight." He held up his glass briefly before quickly sitting back down and taking a swig of champagne. Jackie stood up next, a cue card of her own in her left hand.

"I actually do have this memorized, I just didn't want to mess up at my best friend's wedding," she told everyone with a sheepish smile. A few amused guffaws issued from the surrounding tables. "Here's to my best friend, Willow, who's been there for me more than even my family. I had a pretty tough patch of life a while ago, and I honestly thought I'd pushed you away so much that I'd never be able to fix the damage I did. But when I snapped out of it, you let me back into your life, like nothing ever happened. I thought it was too good to be true, but there you were! And I really wanna thank you for that. Here's to being friends, and complete basket cases, to the end," she said, raising her glass a little as everyone around her laughed politely. She sat back down, taking a sip of sparkling cider. Willow rose next.

"Hi," she said, looking around at everyone, inspiring a few chuckles here and there. "I want to say thank you to Jackie, Logan and Hank for their kind words today. Also, thank you all so much for coming, it means the world to the both of us," she said, raising her glass a little. "So now here's a little something for my hero, Kurt Wagner. When my life fell apart, you came to me like an answered prayer to help me pick up the pieces. You've stuck by me through the thick and thin of it, even when we were both still complete strangers. You've comforted me when I was in pain and you've made me laugh when I thought I couldn't. Basically, you're my knight in shining armor, bamfing to my rescue whenever I needed saving. Thank you so much for everything, Kurt, and know that I'll always love you." A few 'aww's could be heard coming from the direction of the bridesmaid's table. Everyone else either clapped politely or took a sip from their glass. Making sure not to get tangled in her dress, Willow sat back down, allowing Storm to make the final toast.

"Again, thank you all for coming," she began. "When I look at Willow and Kurt, now blissfully married, it's hard to think that the two of them only a year and a half ago were frightened, confused and wronged by the world around them. They've grown so much together, drawing upon each other for the kind of strength and will to persevere that most of us can only imagine. It has taken me along time to be able to even believe in faith," she said, making eye contact with Kurt, "but if there is one thing that I have faith in, it's that this union will last forever. So here's to the lamp of love - may it burn brightest in the darkest hours and never flicker in the winds of trial." She held up her glass while everyone else drank. "I would now like to invite you all to have some lunch that these fabulous caterers have cooked up. Dancing is encouraged while the band plays, and we'll have the newlyweds cut the cake afterwards." There was a light patter of applause as the guests got up from their seats to partake in the food provided. As planned, the hired band began to play a slow, soft little tune.

"Shall ve eat or dance?" Kurt asked Willow.

"I'm so happy that I'm not hungry," she replied with a little laugh.

"Dancing it is, then," he said, offering his hand to her. She took it and was swept out into the vacant patch of grass they'd reserved for those who chose to dance.

"It's a good thing you taught me how to dance, or this would be really awkward," Willow said with a smile.

"It's a good sing you came along, or I vouldn't even sink of dancing in front of a crowd," he said. Other couples began to make their way into the dancing area as Kurt lead Willow swaying in a slow circle.

"I never got a chance to tell you how dashing you look in a tux," Willow said, looking up into his yellow eyes.

"Vell take a good look," he said, "because zis may be ze last time I agree to wear one."

"At least we'll have pictures of all of this," she said.

"Ven are ve getting zose professional pictures done, anyvay?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Sometime today," she said with a little shrug as they passed Hank and Ororo who looked like they were enjoying themselves. Willow had only heard of Dr. Henry McCoy's prowess on the dance floor, but now that she had seen it with her own eyes, she was extremely impressed.

"I vonder about zose two," Kurt said quietly with a little smile.

"They're just really good friends," Willow assured him.

"So are ve," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's different," she insisted.

"If you say so."

"I _do_ say so," she replied with a coy smile.

"Hey, are you excited for our Hawaiian honeymoon?" he asked raising a suggestive eyebrow.

"Yes, but a little nervous," Willow replied. "All I want is a week of lying on the beach without being hassled. I just don't know if that's possible these days."

"Ve can alvays come home early if things get too complicated," he reminded her.

"That's true," she sighed. "Everyone else gets to go to Hawaii without a hitch, but here we are again, with the short end of the stick."

"Don't go borrowing trouble, _Liebchen_, we haven't even left yet!" he said in a soothing voice.

"Tomorrow," she said, sounding more nervous than she'd let on.

"It'll be fine," he promised.

"If you say so," she countered as the song ended.

"Vould you be terribly disappointed if I vent off for somesing to eat?" Kurt asked, eyeing the table.

"Go ahead, I'll mingle," Willow said. Kurt lightly tapped her under the chin with his tail as he turned to leave: an affectionate gesture that still gave Willow butterflies. In Kurt's absence, she looked around and finally realized how very real all this was. She was _married_. Gone were the days that she signed her name 'Stevens'. Gone was her mother's last name, the only thing she had left of her besides the memories. Willow bit her lip, trying not to have a 'my mom's dead' episode right here at her own wedding. Lately they had been few and far between, but it simply had not been long enough yet for her to cope completely. As soon as she thought she might lose it, she saw a big blue someone out of the corner of her eye. She looked up and saw the smiling face of Hank McCoy.

"May I steal you for this dance?" he asked. Willow hadn't even noticed that the next song had started playing.

"Oh, sure," Willow said, forcing the best smile she could. Hank gave her a little theatrical bow, producing a few suppressed giggles from his young dance partner, before he led her out onto a vacant patch of grass.

"I'll try my best not to shed on your dress," he promised as grasped her right hand in his left. She put her other hand on his shoulder while he rested his politely at her waist.

"A few Hank hairs would be the least of my troubles," she told him as they swayed to the music.

"A young bride shouldn't be troubled on her wedding day," he said. "What's bothering you?"

"I guess it's just that I wish my mom could have been here," Willow said awkwardly. "I don't even have a picture of her."

"She would have been very proud of you, I'm sure," Hank said comfortingly.

"I'm always afraid that I'm going to forget her," she admitted. "And it'll be like she never existed."

"One can never forget those dearest to them," he told her. "She lives on in your heart and in your memories. No amount of time can change that." Willow smiled, her will to keep her more embarrassing emotional displays at bay winning over.

"I guess in a way, though, if she hadn't died, I wouldn't be here and this wouldn't be happening," Willow mused.

"Perhaps," Hank said with a thoughtful nod. "Or, maybe you were destined to be here, regardless."

"Could be," she agreed. There was a lull in their conversation that left the two of them enjoying the music and the company. After a moment or two, Willow spoke up again. "Did you really mean what you said?"

"Which part?" he asked, looking down at her inquisitively.

"The part where you said you thought of me as a daughter," she replied.

"Every word of it." Willow smiled.

"That means a lot to me," she said. "Thank you."

"Well, you're very welcome, my dear," he told her. "Ah, and while I have you all to myself, I've finally come to a conclusion about the sample of skin cells I took from your arms last month."

"And…?" Willow asked curiously

"Algae," Hank said simply.

"…_Algae_?" she parroted.

"Yes, a new species, to be exact," he said with a little nod. "One that thrives on the energy of other plants, hence its spread whenever you strain your power. Like most other species, it likes to live in moist places: in the case, your skin. You may very well have created it yourself the first time it appeared."

"Oops," Willow said wryly as Hank dipped her like a professional ballroom dancer.

"I also have a feeling that it augments your preexisting plant-growing abilities so, in essence, the more it spreads, the stronger your power becomes," he explained as he brought her back into an upright position.

"Great," Willow grunted.

"You don't sound entirely fascinated with my ground-breaking discovery," Hank said flatly.

"Oh, it's fascinating enough," Willow replied. "I just don't want it spreading everywhere."

"Maybe I'll look into stunting its growth this week when you and Mr. Wagner are sun tanning in Hawaii," he said with a smile.

"I'd appreciate it," Willow said, still not thrilled about the fact that she had plant life growing under her skin.

The song ended shortly thereafter.

"Thanks for the dance," Willow said.

"It was my pleasure," Hank said, acting the gentleman that he was and planting a kiss on the top of her hand.

"I think I'm gonna go find that husband of mine," she said, excusing herself. It took her a moment to catch sight of Kurt amongst the throngs of people milling around the mansion's back lawn. She finally found him sitting at a table with his mother, Logan, and Jackie, up to his pointy ears in finger sandwiches. She sat down, stole a sandwich and listened in on the conversation that was taking place, which involved Margali revealing embarrassing childhood stories of Kurt. Willow laughed in all the right places but her mind was elsewhere. She casually looked around at all the guests that had attended. Had someone told her when she was getting beaten up in school that in a few short years, her life would be overflowing with people who cared about her, she wouldn't have believed them. And yet, here was proof right before her eyes.

"Do you remember, _Schatz_, when you first began performing and you didn't want to wear your costume?" Margali asked with laughing eyes.

"No, don't tell zis one!" Kurt moaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Tell it, I wanna hear it!" Willow cried.

"You're a traitor!" Kurt told her, his cheeks turning a darker blue.

"Well, he was very young, maybe four, if that, and he wanted to be part of the show," Margali explained, trying to suppress her laughter as she watched Kurt squirm in his seat. "So I told him he could, but he would need to wear a costume."

"Here it comes…," Kurt groaned.

"Opening night, we were all ready to go and I had him dressed in his little cherub costume, and right as his cue came, he took it all off and ran out in front of the whole audience, completely naked!" The punch line sent everyone into fits of laughter. Kurt was obviously mortified, so Logan gave him a hearty thump on the back, which can only be described as a manly, comforting gesture.

"_Mom_…," he muttered. "I'm going to be tventy five, ven vill you stop telling everyvan embarrassing stories?"

"Never," she laughed. "Even on my death bed, I'll tell that story."

"He was prolly so _cute_!" Jackie laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Shoulda known you were never gonna live that one down, bub," Logan said.

"I sink I must have been dropped on my head as a child, ozervise I vouldn't have done somesing so stupid," Kurt grumbled.

"I love you anyway, even in your birthday suit," Willow assured him.

"What would you know about his birthday suit?" Jackie asked suggestively.

"That's something we don't talk about in front of the mother-in-law…," Willow told her through gritted teeth.

"I don't mind," the gypsy laughed good-naturedly.

The pleasant banter continued until everyone had their fill of post-wedding food and Storm called Willow and Kurt up to cut the cake. The newlyweds made their way up in front of the guests one more time. Willow picked up the knife they'd bought for this very purpose and felt a pang of regret at the thought of destroying the work of art in front of them. Kurt placed his hand over Willow's and together they made two neat cuts in the bottom tier of the cake. They set down the knife and Willow carefully pulled out the tiny piece they'd cut for themselves and split it in half. Kurt took his piece and they fed one another _nicely_ (during the rehearsal, they'd shoved the mock-wedding cake into each other's faces and, after accidentally getting some up his nose, Kurt decided he didn't want to repeat their slightly childish behavior in front of masses of people.)

The guests clapped politely before Logan ambled up to the cake and popped his claws. Willow had been a little reluctant to let Wolverine cut and serve everyone else cake, but Kurt had already told him he could. Everyone else sidled up to Logan, who quite literally chopped Willow and Kurt's lovely wedding cake into little bits with his claws before plopping each mutilated chunk onto its own little paper plate.

"Why did I agree to that?" Willow sighed, watching her cake disintegrate before her eyes.

"Because you love me," Kurt said, trying to give her his best debonair smile. "Plus, look, people sink it's funny."

"Har har," Willow said in a deadpan voice. "So much for saving that top part for our one year anniversary," she groaned as Logan plucked their flowery topper off the top tier and began gouging the cake apart.

"It's just cake," Kurt pointed out.

"Yeah," Willow said with a sigh. "It was a pretty cake, though."

"I'm sure we have a picture of it somevere," Kurt said. The two of them watched everyone milling around, enjoying their desecrated pieces of wedding cake and visiting with one another.

"Good turn out," Willow remarked. "As stressful as it was to put everything together, I really enjoyed myself today."

"Me too," Kurt agreed.

"All that's left is packing the rest of our stuff for tomorrow morning," Willow said.

"And growing old and wrinkly together, don't forget zat part," Kurt said with a grin.

"Will you still love me when I'm wrinkly?" Willow asked, looking him in the eyes. "Even if I'm cranky and a big pain in your ass?"

"_Especially_ if you're cranky and a pain in my ass," Kurt said, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "You can't get rid of me now, _Weide_."

"I'm glad I'm stuck with you, handsome," she told him.

"Let's find zat photographer and get zose pictures taken before she leaves," Kurt suggested putting an arm around her and leading her away from the sight of Logan cleaning off his claws with a napkin.

Willow and Kurt were at the mercy of a professional photographer for the better part of a half an hour, trying out different angles and poses. Before she let her models go, the photographer got a few group pictures with the bridesmaids and the groomsman. The guests looked on with interest for a little while, but soon after the photographer finished up, some of their friends bade them farewell and good luck before leaving. Yolanda and her husband's good-byes went on for some time, ending in a pair of tight hugs. They made Willow promise them letters and phone calls before they left to catch their plane back to Seattle. In less than an hour, the only people left were the mansion's own residents.

"Why don't we help you two with the gifts up to the marriage suite?" Hank offered as some of the younger denizens were put to work folding up chairs.

"Marriage suite?" Willow repeated, sounding confused.

"Come with us," Storm prompted, leading Kurt and Willow back into the immaculate house. Willow and Kurt's rooms were both on the second floor, however they bypassed them entirely, continuing up to the fourth and last floor. There wasn't a whole lot up there, save a few rooms, two of which housed Storm and Kitty. Hank led the way to an apparently vacant room. He turned the brass knob and pushed open the door. Willow gasped happily when she saw what was inside: an enormous, king sized bed sat in the middle of the room, on which were a modestly floral patterned down comforter and a matching set of pillows and sheets. An entertainment center with a fairly large TV was situated opposite the bed, complete with DVD player and a VCR. There were two nightstands that flanked the bed on either side. A bathroom, bigger than most around the mansion, was down a very small hallway to the right as they came in. There was a closet set into both of the tiny hallway's walls, which had already been stocked with all of Kurt and Willow's clothes. There were colorful balloons and confetti everywhere and, above the bed, a banner was hung that read: "Congratulations!"

"Oh, wow…," Willow said slowly. "This is…"

"_Wunderbar_," Kurt finished.

"Yeah," Willow agreed.

"So you like it?" Storm asked, beaming.

"Like it?" Willow scoffed, "I love it! It's so big! How'd you…?"

"We got it furnished over the last month," Hank explained. "But we had some of our more sneaky residents install your personal belongings today while you were distracted with the wedding."

"How did I miss a king sized bed coming up the stairs?" Willow wondered.

"We made sure you were in class at the time," Storm told her.

"Ve have a sunken tub!" Kurt exclaimed from inside the bathroom. "I sink it has jets!"

"_Wow_," Willow reiterated, unsure of a better word to describe her speechlessness.

"Now you'll have your own little place when you get back from the honeymoon," Storm told them.

"This is…wow, _thank you_!" Willow stammered.

"It's more zen ve could have asked from you guys," Kurt said as he came back from his bathroom inspection.

"Consider it our gift to you, since neither of us bought you anything," Hank said, sounding a bit sheepish.

"I sink you can forgo Christmas presents for a few years…," Kurt muttered, sitting down on the bed, bouncing on it a little to test its firmness. Hank chuckled.

"You may regret that, come the holidays," he said.

"I think waking up Christmas morning in this room will be more than enough," Willow assured him.

"Alright," Hank said, suppressing a laugh. "Well, perhaps we should let you two finish packing for your trip."

"Hopefully they didn't unpack our suitcases…," Willow muttered with a hint of sarcasm.

"Sank you both," Kurt said in earnest. "Zis is more zen ve could have ever asked for."

"Don't mention it," Storm said with a dismissive shake of her head. Hank and Storm excused themselves from Kurt and Willow's new room, leaving the newlyweds to their own devices.

"Now what?" Willow wondered, looking around at the fantastic room.

"Vell…," Kurt said slowly.

"Well, what?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"It _is_ our vedding night tonight," he said. "I say ve try out zat sunken tub."

"You do, do you?" Willow countered with a coy smile.

"I do," he said, closing off the space between them.

"Well, then," she said as she helped him shrug out of his tux jacket and discard it on the bed, "Better sooner than later…"

_Fin.

* * *

_

**Author's Note: What do you think? Please everyone let me know! I've started on another Willow-centric story so that my hardcore fans (of which there are two…) can enjoy more story. Cya then!**


End file.
